


Tooth and Claw

by ruff_ethereal



Series: San Fransokyo Midnight Society [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Violence, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-26
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-02-27 01:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2673680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruff_ethereal/pseuds/ruff_ethereal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."</p><p>— Friedrich Nietzsche, "Beyond Good and Evil"</p><p>When the Big Hero 6 goes chasing after a werewolf, GoGo gets much, much more than she ever bargained for. Namely, the ire of a secret society of supernaturals living right under the mortal world's noses, the wrath of a cult of supernatural supremacists, and a girlfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To Catch a Werewolf

“Fred, I am not calling that guy a werewolf.”

Fred put his hands to his hips, glaring at GoGo. She merely blew another bubble. “Oh yeah? Then what do you propose we call him, then?”

“Psycho. Lunatic. Wolfman. _Anything_ but ‘werewolf.’”

“Nah, those are lame!” The comic book geek dismissed them with a hand, “Too generic! He needs a cool supervillain name, or some sort of allusion… something like the Big Bad Wolf! Or how about Mad Dog? You know, because he’s _really_ friggin’ crazy?”

“You can say that again.” Wasabi said.

They only had one clear photo of their suspect: a disheveled, incredibly muscular man in his late 30’s, scraggly brown hair, beard that had been constantly and messily hacked at, crazy eyes that looked black, deep eyebags, several times broken nose, horrifically bad teeth. (They knew that last one because he had tried to bite Honey while she took the photo.)

“He’s also a serial killer.” GoGo continued.

Honey Lemon cringed as she remembered the crime scenes. Victims slashed and gutted hundreds of times over with some very, very sharp objects. Strung up and left for dead. Burnt skeletons, scorch marks on concrete walls, singed chains, and stakes nearby. The aftermaths of sprung traps, varying degrees of complexity, all gruesome, all intimidating, and all lethal.

“… Who likes leaving sweet little messages.” Hiro added.

So far, he had left three:

_DON’T TRY TO STOP ME_

**FOR THE STRONG AND TRUE**

THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT _NOTHING!_

The first two were etched into walls. The third had been written in blood; he had run out for the last word and the exclamation mark, and got creative with the bodies.

“And most importantly, four, he’s a werewolf!” Fred cried.

They had exactly one other image of their suspect: a high-speed shot from Baymax. Poorly lit as the streets were that night, they could still see a brown humanoid figure with arms outstretched, claws digging into the robot’s visor, wolf-like face ready to bite with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

“Ugh, will you quit it with the supernatural mumbo jumbo already?” GoGo shouted.

Fred groaned. “Why won’t you guys believe me? Tell ‘em again, Baymax!”

The robot’s screen lit up, his file on Mad Dog appeared. “Patient displays unusual vigour, physical capabilities, and bodily composition. His statistics far exceed the upper limits of all medical records, consistently reaching superhuman levels. In his ‘wolf’ form, his abilities are even greater, alongside the biological armaments and mutations on his body.”

“Hear that? Werewolf!”

GoGo made no comment. She just blew a bubble till it popped.

“We’ll decide what he is once and for all when we catch him, alright?” Hiro said.

* * *

 

 _“Somebody catch that werewolf!”_ GoGo yelled into her communicator.

“Don’t you mean ‘wolfman’?” Fred said.

_“Forget what I said and stop that guy!”_

Underneath his helmet, Fred grinned. “Stopping that werewolf!” The Kaiju super-jumped into the air, towering above the cranes and pillars of the abandoned industrial park, the full moon as his backdrop.

_“LET THERE BE **LIGHT!”**_

Flames roared out of Fred’s maw. Night turned to day; scurrying through the docks, warehouses, and machinery was Mad Dog. The werewolf turned and snarled at the advancing team, his cover of night gone.

Honey had a clear shot. “I got him!” She pulled out a gunk-trap chem-capsule, and reared her arm back just as her foot tripped a nearly invisible wire. “WOAH!” The chemist shot up into the air, suspended a story up, her legs bound with a thin but powerful strand of spider-steel. The chem-capsule harmlessly exploded underneath.

“I’m trapped! But it doesn’t seem to be lethal…”

Dozens more strands of spider-steel shot out from everywhere, wrapping themselves all over her body. Hidden engines roared to life. Strands of metal, no thicker than a human hair, started to pull every which way.

_“IT’S LETHAL!”_

Hiro turned back and saw the twisted web of razor sharp steel, all pulled taut and getting tighter. “I got you Honey!” He and Baymax pulled a 180 towards her. The others slowed down, hugging walls, ducking down, and making careful jumps as they avoided the cables.

“Hurry! It’s already starting to get tight in here!”

Wasabi, GoGo, and Fred ran out onto a vast expanse of concrete, roads from when the park was still active.

“How many traps are there in this place?!” The sushi chef yelled as he broke out into a sprint once more.

“I don’t know, but they’re not gonna stop us!” Fred cried as he lit up the sky once more. He landed back down to the ground. The concrete below him gave way.

The spikes inside glinted ominously as the Kaiju fell in.

“Scratch that, it’s not gonna stop Wasabi and GoGo!” Fred sucked his gut in, sharp steel dangerously close to his body, piercing and digging into the outer shell of his suit. His arms and legs stretched out in all four directions, claws digging into the walls of the trap.

“He’s picking us off one by one!” Wasabi shrieked.

GoGo slid to a stop. She threw her disks out into the ground. One of them broke open another pit trap just before Wasabi ran into it. The man fell back and dug his blades into the ground, gouging straight lines in the road as he struggled to stop. His legs just when over the edge when his teammate caught him and pulled him back out.

“Well, dude is a werewolf,” Fred said as he pondered how to get out, “Separating the herd must come naturally to him.” An idea popped into his head. _“MELTING BREATH!”_

_Boom._

“AAAAAHHHHHH…!” Fred’s scream crackled through the coms as he rocketed out of the pit and the pillar of flame, sailing into the air. GoGo and Wasabi watched in horror.

The Kaiju landed back down to earth with a mighty THUD! His was suit was singed, and of the eyes was ruined, but he was still moving. “I’m okay!”

“No way we’re crossing this with all these traps.” Wasabi muttered, staring at the mile of road still in before them.

“No worries,” Fred said as dusted himself off, “I got this covered: _FIREBALL RAIN!”_

Dozens of balls of blazing fire erupted from the Kaijus maw, breaking open numerous traps and falling into the pits.

_Kaboom._

The entire expanse of road exploded into one giant pillar of smoke, fire, and shrapnel.

GoGo shrank into a ball, shields out. Wasabi ducked behind her and crossed his blades in front of them. Fred just stared.

Bits of metal came flying out and raining down from the sky. The air was suddenly thick with smoke. Their armour was gashed, singed, and scratched, but miraculously, no one had been seriously cut, injured, or burnt.

Wasabi peered out. “Okay, _still_ no way we’re crossing with all these traps.”

CRASH! The ground shook as the smoke blew away from a container van that landed just short of them. The trio looked up to the warehouse roofs and spotted Mad Dog hefting another container over his head.

“RUN!”

 _“Hiro, Baymax, progress? It’s getting_ really _tight in here!”_ Part of Honey Lemon’s helmet cracked. She shrieked.

_“We’re getting there!”_

Shipping containers kept raining down from above. Clear alleyways became dead ends. Safe passages turned lethal when the traps revealed themselves. The three heroes found themselves ducking, dodging, and weaving, running exactly where the trapper wanted them to, right into a suspiciously well-lit warehouse.

 _“Okay team, new plan!"_ Hiro said through the com-link, _"No capturing tonight, just don’t lose sight of him! We can’t fight him with all these traps!”_

GoGo rounded a corner and ducked. A spring-loaded slab of spiked wood almost brained her. “No kid—AGH!” She rolled forward, body arched high in the air as she just barely sailed past a row of IEDs on the floor. She skidded to a stop, looking at the giant makeshift walls looming around her.

“Where the hell am I?” Wasabi cried, “This is insane! Where did find he the time to set up an entire friggin’ labyrinth filled with traps?!”

“A HUNTER _ALWAYS_ HAS TIME!” Mad Dog screamed, his voice echoing through the warehouse.

“Guys, these walls don’t reach up to the ceiling! This calls for another super-jump! _SUPER-JUMP!”_ Fred rocketed up.

Waiting for him was Mad Dog, yet another container van hoisted over his head. “No cheating,” He growled, before he threw it at the Kaiju.

“Gotcha.” Fred said as he and the metal rushed to meet.

Crunch.

_“FRED!”_

“I’m okay! I think...”

Wasabi shook his head. “I’m going to try to dig through the walls!” He gouged a huge section off a nearby tower. It groaned and buckled ominously, then started leaning onto the man. “… And that did not work nearly as well as I wanted it to.”

_“Guys, just hang tight! Stop the chase! We’ll regroup and catch him another day!”_

_“Roger!” “Got it!” “10-4, Hiro!”_

Movement just out of GoGo’s peripheral vision, a brown blur speeding around a corner. The speedster started chasing after him again.

_“GoGo? Did you hear me? Stop the chase! We’re letting him go!”_

The lights bled out into darkness. The doors on the other side of the warehouse were wide open. Mad Dog was sprinting straight outside on all fours.

_“GoGo? GOGO, **STOP!”**_

She kept on accelerating, the gap between them rapidly closing.

The werewolf whipped around to face her, his rear legs digging into the concrete. He rose up, his claws and jaws spread wide open.

By the time GoGo realized what he was doing, it was _far_ too late to stop.


	2. Discretion Assured

“Already called your boss, sent the doctors’ notes to the school, and best of all, everything stays within these walls!” Fred explained, a finger for each item. “Basically, you’ve got nothing to worry about except getting better!”

The brigade of St. Vincent’s Hospital staff beamed with pride, and mimed zipping their lips.

From her hospital bed, GoGo smiled. “Thanks, Fred.” She said in a quiet voice. It still hurt to talk.

“You can stay as long as you need, I’ve covered everything!” Fred looked at his watch and noted the time. “’Kay, gotta go now, Honey Lemon’s been dying to see ya. Man, you should have seen the look on her face when she drew the short straw.”

* * *

The intercom buzzed. _“Honey? It’s Fred, she’s all yours.”_

Honey Lemon looked away from the bathroom mirror. She pressed a button on the machine. “Okay! Just give me a moment!”

 _“Gotcha, though I wouldn’t worry, she’s not going anywhere for a while!”_ A pause. _“Bad joke, sorry.”_

“It’s fine, Freddie.”

The chemist took one last look at her reflection in the mirror. She sucked in a deep breath, her expression changing to one like a soldier going off to war. “Are you going to woman up, or are you just going to be a coward?” She asked herself, waggling a finger at the mirror. For good luck, she took a photo of her game face.

She stepped back out into the guest bedroom, careful not to wake Hiro. The teen was curled up on one of the luxurious beds, fast asleep. Her footsteps barely made a sound on the soft, thick carpet, but she still tip-toed her way out, twisting the knob as she shut the door behind her.

Honey Lemon sighed. “Poor Hiro…” He was a superhero, but he was also still just a teenager.

She turned to her friends, relaxing on the couches—or at least, trying to. Fred had busied himself with a comic book, but he kept peering over the top to the door to GoGo’s room. Wasabi was continuously rearranging every utensil in the kitchenette, every book, every magazine, and DVD on the shelves, and the trays full of snacks and food on the tables. Then, messing it up all over again just to have something to do.

Honey Lemon walked up to GoGo’s door. She paused as her hand touched the knob, about to turn it. Did she really want to see what was inside? The doctors had assured her the blood had made everything much worse than it really was… but then again, doctors always said that.

At least they weren’t apologizing.

Honey Lemon took another deep breath. She knocked on the door with one hand, two light taps, before she opened the door.

It really was worse with the blood, she had to give the doctors that. Even then, she couldn’t look at GoGo without wincing.

A hospital gown covered the worst of it. Still, her legs were almost completely bandaged up. The parts of her covered in carbon fiber armour and her helmet were spared, if only because Mad Dog couldn’t tear it off before Baymax punched him off.

GoGo smiled at her. “Hey Honey.”

“Hi GoGo!” The greeting came out weaker and less enthusiastic than she’d wanted. “You feeling okay?” She asked, taking slow, careful steps to her bed. “Okay, sorry, stupid question, you’ve probably answered that like, several times over already.” She sat down beside GoGo’s upper body. “Of course you’re okay. The doctors wouldn’t be letting me in to see you if you…”

The courier gingerly lifted a hand up, raised it between her and Honey’s faces. She gave her another smile.

The chemist sincerely hoped she wasn’t blushing when she slipped her fingers between GoGo’s hand. GoGo gave her a soft squeeze. Okay, _now_ she was blushing.

Honey sucked in a huge breath, and tried look her friend in the eyes. “Look, I just… wanted tell you that when I saw you last night, there in the warehouse it just… destroyed me.” Tears started to well up in her eyes. “I was completely and absolutely terrified. It felt like…”

GoGo squeezed her hand again.

Honey stopped. She looked at her friend, a softer smile this time, one that told her, “Shh, everything’s gonna be alright.”

They stayed like that for a long while. Finally, the chemist shook her head and sighed. “Oh, look at me, being all dramatic. Get better soon, alright?” GoGo squeezed her hand again.

“Selfie!” Honey Lemon’s flew to her phone, pulling it out in a smooth, practiced motion. She quickly faced away from GoGo, her blushing cheeks out of sight, and snapped the photo. She put her arm down and discretely deleted the photo.

Honey Lemon stood up, hoping the red had left her face. “I’ll visit as soon as I can, okay?” She started walking away as fast as she could.

GoGo coughed. They were still holding hands.

“Oh, right, sorry!” Honey Lemon pried her fingers off as quickly and carefully she could, and was out the door in record time. She was back in the bathroom soon after, looking into her reflection once more.

She sighed. “You’re going to be a coward.”

* * *

GoGo chowed down on her fourth slice of pizza—many more boxes awaited, unopened, and Wasabi seemed to have lost his appetite in the middle of his first.

“Geeze, GoGo, pace yourself!” The sushi chef cried out as he laid his plate down, “We have a microwave and a toaster in here if they get cold!”

The courier merely chewed through her latest bite and swallowed, before she replied, “Hey, you try eating hospital food for two weeks, and let’s see how well you control yourself when you can eat real food again!” With a ravenous snarl like a predator tearing into their prey, GoGo bit off more of her pizza, toppings, cheese, and sauce flying everywhere and onto her face.

It was cute, in a somewhat gross, mildly disturbing sort of way. Honey Lemon took a photo of the sight; GoGo merely kept on chowing down.

“Is the food here really that bad?” Hiro asked.

“No,” Fred replied, “But when you really get down to it, hospital food is still hospital food, gourmet or no.”

* * *

GoGo relaxed on a recliner, idly chewing her first gum in forever, an aura of satisfaction radiating from her body. Her clothes were covered in a mess of stray food bits, sauce, and the one spilled soda stain. Honey Lemon took another picture; this time, the stuffed, messy courier smiled for the camera.

Wasabi took one look at the boxes piled up on the corner and back at GoGo. He blinked and took one more look to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Then, he started counting the boxes.

“Sup, ‘Sabi,” Fred said as he walked up with a soda cup in hand, “Something up?”

“Dude, have you seen how much pizza GoGo just ate?”

“Yeah, like she said, hospital food.”

“She might have eaten two whole boxes. Maybe more.”

“So? I do that all the time.”

“Do you do it in the span of around 30 minutes?”

Fred shook his head. “I guess at least she knows what she did if it comes back to haunt her?”

Wasabi sighed. “I’m asking one of the nurses about this. No way this is normal.”

“Good plan.” The comic book geek walked over to GoGo, the sushi chef headed towards one of the many nurses and attendants standing by on duty.

“Hey GoGo!” Fred put his hands on the back of the recliner his friend lounged on. The courier opened her eyes, acknowledged him with a nod. “Doctors tell you when your next check-up is?”

“Thursday next week, 6 PM sharp. Preferably before sunset,” She recited mechanically, “I can call an ambulance if I need to.” She rolled her eyes afterward. “Did they drill it into your head over and over, too?”

“No, I just wanted to know so I could remind you in case you forget.”

“Wow. Does this hospital just fall apart at the seams if a patient doesn’t return on time?”

“No. But bad things happen, to the patients.”

“So you’re late, you get an earful or something?”

“No, just get back here on time, okay?!”

GoGo flinched. Hiro and Wasabi gave curious glances. Honey Lemon was in the bathroom, and didn’t hear.

Fred’s features softened, his fingers relaxed from their death grip on the couch. He sighed. “Look, just… please, get back here on time. Whatever they tell you to do, just do it.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Please, do it for me, as a favour to a friend. I don’t want you to get hurt… or worse.”

“Okay, I will, alright?” GoGo dug her phone out of her jacket. “Here, I’ll even set an alarm on my phone and put the ambulance on speed dial. Will that make you happy?”

“Yes.” Fred didn’t look away from the screen until he had double checked every last number and date on it.

“Fred..." The courier looked him right in the eyes, "What the hell do I have?”

The man sighed, and looked to the side. “I don’t know. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. I _think_ I know, but I don’t want it to be true, so I’ll just wait until you or a doctor to tell me. Is there any more pizza left?”

Hiro pointed at the stack of boxes still unopened. He and Wasabi were still looking at him curiously, but both pressed no further. Fred took a box over to the kitchenette and started tinkering with both the microwave and the toaster oven.

Honey Lemon stepped out of the bathroom. She frowned at the sudden change in the room’s atmosphere. “Did something happen…?”

“It’s nothing,” GoGo said. “Just Fred being… Fred.”

Honey Lemon looked at the man trying to stuff several slices of pizza into the appliances in some sort of arcane configuration, and nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Gotcha.” She took a picture of the man’s bizarre work.

The atmosphere quickly warmed back up.

The chemist sauntered over to GoGo, who was back to reclining all the way on her seat. “So, GoGo,” She started, “You’re official being discharged today and then it’s back to normal life once more—“

“Except for you know what.”

“Exactly. And I was just wondering… will you… er?”

The courier watched Honey blush, her face contorting and pinching, struggling with some unseen force. In the background, Hiro and Wasabi leaned forward, discretely cheering her on. Even Fred stopped his work on his pizza project, mouthing “Come on, you can do it!”

“Will you go out with me?!” Honey all but yelled.

“Woo! Finally!” All heads turned to Fred, expressions a mix between disbelief (Hiro), disdain (GoGo), embarrassment (Honey Lemon), and disappointment (Wasabi). “I’ve… finished my chaser!” He picked up one of his plates and showed it off. Toppings and slices had been arranged and rearranged into some sort of order that only he could understand.

Honey turned back to face GoGo. GoGo turned back to face Honey.

The courier opened her mouth to speak.

“You see, there’s actually this new restaurant that opened uptown,” Honey Lemon suddenly rocketed off, “And I’ve just been dying to go there. They have like the most amazing location, I took so many wonderful pictures, and the ‘Yipe!’ reviews have been off the charts! They’re practically begging folks to try out their steaks—err, the reviewers, not the restaurant.”

“Honey—”

“With your choice of side-dish! Including Kale salad. Though they’ve also got plenty of other choices if you’re feeling up to it! All Americasian! Small, big, or the ever popular small AND big, they’ve got it in spades! Steaks, fish, salads—pretty much everything!”

“I—“

“And that’s not even getting into their neighbours! They’re right next to a nature preserve! It’s kind of like a park except not really, because the trees are allowed to grow wild and naturally, the caretakers really just pick up litter and maintain it to fire code, and keep the animals from running amuck on the streets! They’ve got trails, bike trails, and even off-road paths if you want to, you know, pretend you’re in the country and such! Or go hide away and pretend you’re—“

“Yes.”


	3. Don't Think, Just Do

_Honey free at 5 today?_

> _Yes, what’s up?_

_Date at the Gardens. Sorry it’s not the restaurant._

_> It’s fine. I just wanted to be with you, anyway._

_It’s a date._

_> Wait, you’re due back at the hospital at 6 today, right?_

_Yes._

_> And Fred has been telling everyone you shouldn’t miss it, right?_

_Yes._

_> REALLY serious about telling everyone?_

_Yes._

_> Are you sure you should be doing this?_

_Yes._

_> Dunno, I’m also free at 9, plenty of time for that follow up to happen._

_Monday, Blitzkrieg attacks docks right before date._

_Tuesday, 1% chance of failure experiment failed._

_Wednesday, block held hostage right before date._

_Someone is screwing with me._

_> So why 5?_

_Nothing’s happened all day._

_> See you at 5, then!_

GoGo put her phone down on her workstation. She wasn’t going to make it to the hospital at 6, she was sure of that.

“Bring it on, St. Vincent’s,” The mechanic said to herself, “I’m ready.”

Wasabi came over and started asking her about a missing tool. She turned around and started the usual exchange. GoGo never noticed the missing weight in her pocket as she left the Nerd Lab.

* * *

“I had this idea in my head that everything needed to be perfect, you know?” Honey Lemon said as they walked together on the garden path, hand in hand. “That everything needed to fall into place just right, that every element had to be impeccable, that my timing had to be divine—a once in a lifetime sort of deal.”

GoGo nodded and squeezed her date’s hand.

The chemist squeezed back, and blushed. “But now, all that planning’s fallen apart at the seams, hasn’t it? All those months and hours I’d spent meticulously planning everything, and it’s all been for nothing because our lives are too hectic to allow it. And I have to say,” The two of them separated to allow someone on a rocket-propelled bike come screaming past, “I’m fine with it.”

“AAAAAAAHHH—THANK YOU!—AAAAAAAHHHHH…!” The rider yelled.

“This isn’t the restaurant, this isn’t a romantic dinner, this isn’t the nature preserve close by, but it sure as hell is a lot better! Know why?”

“Why?”

The two of them paused their conversation once more as a golf cart chasing after the rocket-propelled bike drove past. “We’re sorry!” The woman hanging off the back cried.

“Because that date was a hypothesis!” Honey Lemon declared as they started walking once more, “This one is a concrete result, and I have to say, it’s got one hell of a reaction on me.”

They looked at each other and smiled.

“All that time, my ultimate goal was just to be with you. The two of us, alone together. And I didn’t just veer of course with all that work; I completely, absolutely missed the point. Should have spent less time planning and making things perfect and just asked you out, you know?”

“Happens to all of us.”

The chemist chuckled, her mirth quickly dying into a sigh. “Wow, I feel so pathetic and relieved at the same time, getting that off my chest.” She shook her head. “Sorry I totally filled this date with my rambling.”

“It’s fine.” GoGo replied, giving another squeeze, “I love listening to you. And you know what?”

“What?”

“Happened to me, too.”

“What?” The chemist blinked, “Seriously? You too?”

“Never asked out someone like you before. Had no idea how to do it, tried to figure it out in my head instead of testing it out.”

Honey Lemon smiled again. “Ha! I guess that makes the both of us—“

They stopped and separated once more as Rocket Cyclist was beginning to make their second loop around. No apology this time, as they seemed to have screamed themselves hoarse.

Their teammates came past a short while later, still on the golf cart. “I told you the auxiliary fuel tanks were a bad idea!” One of them cried.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time, alright?” The hanger replied, before she turned to look back at Honey and GoGo. “Sorry again! Should run out of fuel by the third lap…”

They both watched as the golf cart decided to just park to one side, the occupants all pulling out laptops, notebooks, and phones to make notes.

Honey Lemon looked up at the orange sky. “Gee, we spent a lot of time just walking around and talking—well, me talking, you listening, at any rate. Sure you shouldn’t be calling the hospital for that ambulance already?”

GoGo shrugged. “No alarm yet.”

“But you really have to make that appointment, right?”

“I’ll make it.”

Rocket Cyclist crashed, their bike temporarily achieving vertical take-off before it went off to terrorize the picnic area. At the distant screams and yelling, the golf cart team looked up from their notes and zoomed after their fallen friend and runaway project. The security guards in the area followed shortly.

All around them, people either rushed over to watch the fiasco or decided it was a good time to turn in for the day.

“Seems like the garden’s starting to empty out… one guard left behind, too.” Honey Lemon said.

“Yeah.”

“We’re practically alone now, in a sense.”

“Yep.”

The chemist looked at a nearby patch of trees. “… Want to go do something _crazy_ irresponsible, that’ll probably get us in serious trouble if we get caught?”

_“Yes.”_

* * *

 

The guard’s flashlight did one last sweep of the area before they sighed, and radioed in. “False alarm. Heading back.”

GoGo and Honey Lemon held their breaths, their backs already pressed to the tree trunk, their cheeks blushing bright red. They waited until the crunch of leaves and grass stopped, and peered around from their cover.

The night crowd had arrived, and the guard ran off.

“Oh, man!” The chemist whispered, “We were this close getting found out.”

GoGo grinned and wiped her mouth with her hand. “Yeah…”

“Woo,” Honey Lemon said as she readjusted her underwear, “I don’t know if it was of you, the risk of getting caught, or both, but that was… oh dear. Sun’s gone down. Now you’re _definitely_ late.” She pulled out her phone and checked the time. “Yep. 6:20 already.”

“Eh,” GoGo said, with a shrug. “I can take whatever they—AGH!” The courier keeled over in pain, falling to her knees and clutching her leg. Through her jeans, a bite shaped scar started glow red.

“GoGo!” The chemist dropped her phone, rushing over to her lover’s side. She reached over with a hand to touch her shoulder. “What’s wrong with—!”

She pulled it back as thick, black fur sprouted from GoGo’s skin.


	4. Dog's Out

GoGo howled in despair. “I look like a fluffy Rottweiler with hair!”

“I know, right?!” Honey Lemon cried, “You look positively _adorable!_ Eeee! I just want to hug you and love you and scratch your belly! Can I scratch your belly?” She held her free hand out, her phone still held up in front of her face.

“Scratch my—?!” The newly transformed werewolf staggered back. “No!”

“Can I please at least take more pictures of you?” The chemist said, already circling her lover. “With your clothes off too, please, I want to see where else the purple fur is!”

GoGo blinked, her muzzle dropping open, her paws held up in front of her. “Honey, are you serious?!“

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Honey Lemon wailed, “You’re so cute it’s overriding my sensible thinking!”

“Hey!” A guard cried, their flashlight beaming through the darkness, “What’s going on over here?”

GoGo’s tail bolted straight up and started swishing wildly behind her. Her lips curled back into a snarl, her claws were bared and ready to rip and tear. She crouched down, eyes slits and scanning the trees for the guard, about to—

“GoGo, heel!”

The werewolf blinked, her eyes turning back to normal. Her hackles, her claws, and her tail dropped, her lips turned into a frown. “Honey, what just—“

“No time!” The chemist replied as she rushed over, “Bend down, girl!”

GoGo lowered herself to the ground, Honey Lemon climbed onto her back, wrapping her arms over the werewolf’s shoulders and across her chest.

“Please!” The guard burst into view, “Don’t—OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?”

“Run, GoGo, RUN!”

* * *

“Don’t tell me,” GoGo mumbled as she ducked behind a dumpster, “You dropped your phone.”

Honey Lemon sucked in a huge breath and gagged. “Ugh! Uh, yeah, I did.”

The werewolf’s face scrunched up even more dramatically.

“Don’t worry though!” The chemist said as she pinched her nose. She reached over and plugged GoGo’s, too. “I’m pretty sure we can call the hospital from the admin office. You know their number?”

They stopped and pressed their backs to the wall as a squad car passed by. GoGo shut her eyes and focused on thrum of its engines, getting fainter and fainter as it drove away.

“It’s gone. And no.” The werewolf shook her head, “It’s on my phone. Forgot it in the Nerd Lab.”

“Which the boys have probably found and kept to give to you tomorrow… ugh, I can’t think like this! GoGo, get ready, we’re going for another run, girl.” Honey Lemon peered around the corner, and signaled that the coast was clear.

The werewolf lowered herself to the floor. “So, dog commands, huh?”

“Hey,” Honey Lemon said as she climbed back on, “They’re working, aren’t they?”

GoGo decided to argue later and sped through the street to the adjacent alley, a black blur with a colourful yellow spot on its back.

The chemist sighed in relief as she took a deep breath of relatively fresh air. “Ah, much better; it smelled worse BACK there than when my neighbours decide to have a smoking marathon.” She blinked. “Wait, that’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“My apartment! It’s got fire escapes in the back, I can totally let you in from there, and we can both hide out till morning!”

“You have directions?”

“Of course! I’ve had to take the back route back to my house lots of times.”

“Just tell me where I need to go.”

* * *

 

“How much farther to your apartment?” GoGo asked as she broke open a lock on a fence door.

“Just a few more blocks,” The chemist replied as she stepped through, “You’ll know it by the fire escapes.”

As it turns out, almost every fire escape in Honey Lemon’s building had been turned into a fire _hazard._ Vertical gardens on the rungs and the railings; cushions and a makeshift couch set up for smoking and drinking; art galleries; laundry lines; a myriad of other uses that made for excellent cover and zero fire safety.

“I’ll be right back!” Honey Lemon said as she dismounted, rummaging in her pockets for her keys, “Try to stay hidden! Third floor.”

GoGo nodded and stayed in the shadows, listening for movement.

Eventually, Honey Lemon stepped out onto one of the few fire escapes that had been left clear. She wasn’t wearing her platform heels, stepping on the metal with bare feet as she unlatched the ladders leading down to the alley.

They raised the ladders on their way up, disturbed as little set-ups as possible, and eventually jumped into Honey’s apartment through a window.

Honey Lemon quietly shut it, and slumped down to the wooden floor, exhausted. GoGo was already spread out on her stomach, panting. It had been a long, long night.

“Good girl…” The chemist mumbled as she reached over and started scratching the werewolf behind the ears. GoGo’s leg began to kick.

“Honey?! Is that a dog?” The landlady and upstairs neighbour yelled, “You know the rules about pets!”

“It’s not a pet, Ms. Basker!” Honey Lemon yelled up.

“Then what what’s all that racket? Sounds like you just smuggled one in! I can hear it panting”

“That would be me, ma’am!” GoGo explained.

“Oh.” A long, long period of silence. “Keep it down!”

“We will!” They both shouted up.

They smiled at each other and laughed. Then, their stomachs growled, GoGo’s much louder than Honey’s.

“Ugh, you hungry girl?” The chemist said as she picked herself up, “I know I am!”

GoGo barked in agreement, standing up from the floor. Her tail started wagged merrily as they made their way to the kitchen.

The two stopped, exchanged looks, and silently vowed never to speak of it ever again.

* * *

“I’ve got some leftover pasta sauce from last night!” Honey Lemon said as she rummaged for pots, a wooden spoon, a colander, and a large jar of red sauce, “Still gonna have to cook the noodles, though; should be a few minutes, tops.”

“Anything edible; I’m starving.” GoGo said as she sat on the table, her stomach making an even louder protest than earlier.

“Hmm, maybe I should start pulling out my other leftovers, too… seems being a werewolf comes along with a dramatic need for energy.” The chemist set a pot of water to boil and the cold sauce to heat up on the stove, then rooted in her cabinets for more foodstuffs. “Makes a lot of sense, given your increased capabilities.”

The werewolf cringed. “Please, no science till food…” She slumped forward, resting her head on the table; her muzzle wouldn’t let her face-plant properly.

Honey Lemon giggled.

“What’s so funny?” GoGo asked, her eyes turning to her date as she poured a package of spaghetti noodles into the boiling water.

“Oh, just that you look exactly like one of my _Tio_ Jon-Jon’s dogs when my cousins forget to feed them;” The chemist replied as she came over with tubs and jars full of treats. “They don’t get their food on time, _everyone_ on the ranch knows.” She opened one full of brownies, and passed it over to GoGo.

The courier was about to reach in before Honey Lemon pulled it back. “Oh, wait, no!” She cried, “These brownies contain chocolate, that’s—“

The werewolf heaved a long, heavy sigh, and motioned with a paw for the food back.

“Ah, right…” The chemist pushed it back, “Dog diet rules probably don’t apply to you. Sorry!”

GoGo just started emptying the container of its contents. She could enjoy the intense, natural, and harmonious flavours later, she decided as she shoved it into her mouth by the pawful. Eventually, she just pulled it in closer and stuck her mouth in.

Honey Lemon looked back at the sight, smiled, and wished she hadn’t forgotten her phone. She returned to the stove, stirring up the sauce and the noodles.

“You know a lot about dogs.” The werewolf said as she bit into a peanut butter filled brownie. The creamy substance stuck right onto the roof of her mouth. She started licking, trying to get it off.

“Ah, one side of my family just absolutely loves dogs!” The chemist said as she cooked, “Huge mixed breeds, pit bulls, American bulldogs, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Boxers, and a Neapolitan Mastiff, once! Ah, he was one surly, disdainful dog, but he followed orders all the same.”

“I see.” GoGo redoubled her efforts to rid herself of the nutty menace in her mouth.

“But then there was Chi Chi the Chihuahua! Sure, he followed orders, too, but otherwise, he was the boss—the Beta of the pack.” Honey Lemon turned off the burners, and went off to the sink to drain the noodles.

“It was the damnedest thing anyone ever saw; this tiny, bald, almost pink little Chihuahua striding in with all the confidence in the world, and then, right behind him, this HUGE pack of ferocious dogs—big bodies, big barks, big bites.” The pasta was dumped into a waiting colander, steam rising up. “They always laid down after Chi Chi—that was a non-negotiable even for direct commands!—and even then it was always around him, like he was the boss of a cartel and they were his bodyguards.”

“Great leader, huh?” The werewolf pondered scraping it off with her paws but realized she wouldn’t want her claws inside her mouth.

“Yep!” Honey Lemon said as she shook the colander a few times, “They even barked for him, I swear. Chi Chi would turn his head just so and then WOOF! Someone from the group would bark. There even seemed to be specific dogs for specific situations.” The chemist started rooting in her drawers for plates. “Of course, we never did find out if that was the case.”

“Why?” GoGo stopped her futile efforts to lick it off.

“Oh, he’s dead.”

“Sorry.”

“Thanks.” The chemist set two plates onto the counter. “Runaway car. Bruno the American bulldog jumped in the way, but unfortunately, he also landed on Chi Chi. He never did quite forgive himself.”

“He sat out of the circle of dogs at the funeral.” Honey Lemon looked for her tongs. “Every few minutes, a different dog walked over and tried to call him over, but he just stayed there till we started patting the dirt. Then, he walked over and gave the last mourning howl.” She dropped noodles onto both plates, piling it on high with GoGo’s. “He was the new Beta, too, but it never really was the same ever again.”

Honey Lemon sighed, and shook her head. “Rest in peace, Chi Chi, you led a good life.”

GoGo stood up, padded over, and rubbed her head against her girlfriend’s thigh.

The chemist smiled and scratched the werewolf behind her ears.

Once more, they both stopped, looked at each other, and quietly set about pouring the sauce on the pasta, and getting back to the table.

“Anyway, happier thoughts.” Honey Lemon declared, opening a different drawer for folks. “I’m actually going to go back to the ranch and visit them in a month or so! Most every relative is going to be bringing their own dogs; it’s quite the sight, and the weirdest thing, that every pooch seems to self-organize according to who controls the territory they’re in. In this case, it’s Bruno.” She stuck the utensils into the pasta.

Honey Lemon looked back, plates in hand, and saw GoGo trying to lick the peanut butter off again. “You need some milk?”

“Yes, please.”

Honey Lemon served up the plates of spaghetti, and walked back to her counter. She was about to grab a glass before she rooted around a soup dish instead. A quick trip to the fridge and she had a bottle of soda and a plateful of milk, and put both in front of their plates.

Honey Lemon took a swig of her drink. GoGo lapped up hers. Neither commented.

The chemist picked up her fork and started to eat her pasta in small, neat bites. GoGo tried to use her fork using her new paws, gave up, and shoved her face into her food once more. Honey Lemon chuckled, the werewolf kept on chewing.

“You know,” Honey Lemon said after a bite, “I realize I could have just put a single plate between us and totally pulled of a Lady and the Tramp style dinner date.”

GoGo messily chewed up her latest mouthful, and replied, “I think we’d both need muzzles for that.”

“Well, that can be arranged, can’t it?” Honey Lemon smiled. The werewolf glared. “Sorry, bad joke. Anyway, even though this isn’t the restaurant, and there was that whole fiasco earlier… I gotta say, this date has been pretty damn fun.”

“Memorable, that’s for sure.” GoGo said as she started licking the sauce off her plate. “First thing in the morning: hospital.”

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything else!” Honey’s forkful of spaghetti almost flew off. “That St. Vincent’s and Freddie was so adamant about you getting back before sunset, on the night of a full moon, is either an amazing coincidence, or they both know more than they let on.”

The werewolf nodded, her lip curling back a little. “I’ll try not to murder anyone.”

“Good girl!”

GoGo’s tail wagged. She forced it to stop.

“For now, though, we enjoy the rest of our evening; it’s a long way till sunset.”

GoGo looked at one of Honey’s cat shaped clocks. “Wow, only 7:20?”

“Yep!” The chemist replied as she ate the remainder of her pasta, “Good thing, too, because there’s been something I’ve been wanting to do with you for a while…”

Honey Lemon grinned.

* * *

GoGo couldn’t help but laugh at the dastardly villain firing angst-ridden teenagers from a cannon, to stop a blue, talking whale from winning a race. “How’d they even get this shown?!” She asked, her tail merrily wagging in the air.

“No idea!” Honey Lemon replied in-between her own giggling, “But I’m pretty glad they did!”

The werewolf shook her head. “This is so messed up.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Honey Lemon paused the video, GoGo ducked into the closet.

The werewolf could barely see anything through the slats, only hear her girlfriend’s footsteps on the wood floor, the sound of the door opening. Then a horrible smell filled her nose—a familiar stench amplified exponentially.

She knew only one thing that smelled like that.

“Hey Honey,” Fred said, “Is GoGo here? We _really_ need to get her back to the hospital.”


	5. Farewell to Normal

“Why am I a werewolf?” GoGo asked. She sat on the stretcher inside the ambulance, her muzzle aimed at Fred’s neck. Honey Lemon sat with her, calmly stroking her back.

“Mad Dog bit you.” Fred replied as he leaned against one of the cabinets, “Intentionally.”

“Why for?”

The geek scratched the back of his head. “Later. It’s kind of complicated, and it’d be best if the doctors are around to help explain it.”

“Freddie,” Honey Lemon said, “Earlier this evening, a guard found the two of us just after GoGo transformed, and she went berserk. ‘Tail raised, fangs bared, hackles raised’ berserk. What was that?”

Fred nodded grimly. “That would be the Beast. It’s pretty much your natural fight or flight response on steroids. You didn’t kill ‘em, did you? Because that would be really bad for you, and them.”

“No.” GoGo said, shaking her head, “Honey stopped me.”

“Really?” The man blinked, “How?”

“I ordered her to heel. She did.” Honey answered.

“What was with that?!” GoGo demanded.

Fred paused to think. “Hmm, it’s either A, Honey Lemon is secretly a witch and she’s unconsciously exercising her natural affinity for nature, animals, and animalistic supernaturals…”

The chemist perked up considerably.

“… Or more likely B, you just have it really, really bad for her, to the point where you’d take whatever orders she gives you anyway. You’re not a sub, are you?”

The werewolf shrank back and blushed.

“I’ll take that as a…” GoGo snarled. “… No answer!”

“Is it really possible I’m actually a witch, Freddie?” Honey Lemon asked. She stopped stroking her girlfriend, her hands held out in front of her in clenched fist excitement.

“Not totally out of the question, no,” Fred replied, “But we’ll have to run some tests on you. That aside, you’re going to need the Council’s permission before you can start any real training. Normally, this would have been the point where your mind would be erased or… something else, but I think they see some use in having you know the Society exists.”

The chemist kept on a hopeful face, and went back to petting GoGo.

“So how are you involved in all of this?” The werewolf asked.

“That’ll have to be for later,” Fred said, peering at his phone, “We’re coming in through the emergency room right now. GoGo, play dead!”

GoGo growled in response.

“GoGo, heel.” Honey Lemon said. The werewolf stood down. “Now, play dead.”

Reluctantly, the werewolf laid out on her side and looked as dead as possible: tongue lolled out, eyes unfocused, limbs splayed out. The EMTs threw a sheet over her and rolled her out the back doors.

* * *

“You were saying, Freddie?” Honey Lemon said, calmly pushing GoGo back down to the stretcher. Like a regular dog, she lay on her stomach, her reverse-jointed legs pulled up, her front paws gripping the edge.

“Oh, yeah, as it turns out, the Midnight Society—the government for supernatural beings and happenings—totally knows we’re superheroes, and decided that at least one of us had to know about them, in case they needed our help.”

“But why you?” GoGo asked.

“I guess maybe because most of you guys wouldn’t even believe me if I told you?” Fred shrugged.

The two women blinked. “That is… frighteningly clever.” Honey Lemon mumbled.

“So why wait so long to tell us?” The werewolf asked.

“Rules! Can’t just go telling even your closest buddies about this stuff.” Fred paused. “Also we were waiting to see if, uh, we had to put you down…”

“Put me down?!” “Put her down?!”

“Relax, relax!” The geek shrank back to the furthest edge of the elevator, holding out his arms before thinking better of it, “It all worked out in the end, right?”

“But—“

Ding. The elevator doors opened. Waiting for them just outside was a middle-aged woman with rust coloured hair, her lab coat thrown over a simple red dress.

“Dr. Theresa Kovaks—you may call me Terry.” She said, bowing forward slightly, “If you’d like, Mr. L., I can take over for you from here.”

“Nah, it’s cool, I think they really need to hear it from me,” Fred said, stepping out of the car and onto the carpeted floor.

GoGo glared at him, her pendant ears standing at as much attention as the flaps could. Honey Lemon was about to comment on the lack of covering on the werewolf, before an incredibly pale man with extremely sharp canines smiled and waved at her as he passed through the hall.

“Guys… there’s…” The geek stared at some art on the wall, “Sort of an outbreak of new werewolves, vampires, witches, magicians, and zombies all over the country. Unofficial ones, made by people like Mad Dog. Most of them also wild, crazy, and uncontrollable.”

GoGo’s mouth fell in shock before she turned it into a snarl, her hackles raised. Honey Lemon’s hands flew up to her mouth.

“We, uh,” Fred scratched the back of his head, “Think they just chose San Fransokyo for their media presence.”

GoGo and Honey Lemon blinked.

_“I’m a **publicity stunt** for a bunch of supernatural **lunatics?!”**_

* * *

 

“I must say, Ms. Tomago, your results are rather impressive;” Dr. Kovaks, AKA Terry said as she walked into GoGo’s room, “You consistently rank in the upper echelons of supernatural capabilities—though I don’t think that’s very surprising given your history. All that conditioning went a very long way indeed.” The doctor nodded.

“Yeah, very nice…” GoGo mumbled, staring around the woman and at her room door.

Terry hummed. “I can tell you’re incredibly pissed, and from what your girlfriend and Mr. L. has told me, you’re already aware of all the new perks and downfalls of being a werewolf. All that I really need to do now, as a Society veterinarian, is teach you how to change back and forth, outside of a full moon.”

“Great,” The werewolf mumbled, “Now can I leave?”

“Not exactly, Ms. Tomago. Can I call you GoGo?” The woman in question nodded. “Thank you, GoGo. Can I sit by your bed or would you like your space?”

“I’d rather not have you in biting distance, thanks;” GoGo bared her teeth, “Too tempting.”

“Understandable. Before I let you go, I have to ask you a very important question. Not as your doctor.”

GoGo turned her head to the side. “Okay… what is it?”

“It’s about you, and your legal status in Midnight Society.” Terry said, moving to the side of her patient’s bed.

“What about it?”

“Right now, GoGo, you’re what we in the Society call a ‘Lone Wolf’—imaginative name, I know—which basically means anyone is free to hunt you down, whether or not you’ve actually committed a crime against humans or the Society.”

The werewolf shot up from her bed, her tail furiously wagging above her. “The hell?!”

“It sucks, I know;” Terry nodded, “I was like that for a while before I found a Coven, and going around all day with a target painted behind your back, and an even bigger one at night, is not a great way to live. Which is why I’m offering you a way out, but you’re going to have to meet me halfway with this, alright?”

GoGo nodded, slowly relaxing and backing down. “Go on…”

“I’m going to adopt you. That is to say, for all intents and purposes, I will be your Sire—the person who had introduced you to the Society, and will be responsible for all your actions, your crimes, your behavior, and your education in the Midnight Society.” Terry looked to the side, “Though I’m sure Mr. L. has already done a bang-up job on number four…”

GoGo sighed, already imagining the words and enthusiasm spewing from her friend’s mouth. “Oh man,” The hypothetical Fred started, “I was so totally right all along…”

“But I’m going to need your permission for this.” Terry held up her wrist, “I’m going to need you to drink my blood.”

The werewolf blinked. “Say what now?”

“In the Society, contracts are signed in blood—Blood Bonds. By drinking my blood, you’re infusing yourself with a part of my magic, and forming an eternal connection with me, till the day I, or you, die. I will be able to feel a part of you, you’ll be able to feel a part of me; however you feel of me will amplify exponentially; and I’ll be able to command you, and you’ll be unconditionally inclined to obey.”

“No.” GoGo shook her head slowly, “I’m sorry, but no. I don’t want to be enslaved to a total stranger for the rest of my life.”

“I understand,” Terry lowered her hand, “Though, there is another way…”

GoGo’s ears perked up again.

“Tell me: how serious are you with your girlfriend—Honey Lemon, was it? Because she is most definitely a witch, and can be your Sire.” Terry looked up at the ceiling, “I mean we’re stretching the rules severely here already, and under good faith, I’m not supposed to let childe bond with childe… but…!” She casually threw her patient a finger gun.

The werewolf nodded and grinned. “I’ll go talk to her.”

Terry looked back and smiled. “Wonderful! And GoGo? Always remember: it might be Mad Dog’s blood that cursed you, but in the end, what you do, what you become? It’s all you.”

“Thanks doc, I’ll keep that in mind…” GoGo looked at the floor. “Can I go now?”

“Yes,” Terry nodded, “You are dismissed, GoGo.”

The werewolf climbed off and happily rubbed her head against Terry’s leg; the doctor returned it in kind with a scratch behind the ears.

“You know,” GoGo said, “You’re actually pretty cool.”

“I try. Also,” Terry pulled out two business cards, “Feel free to call me for anything, alright? Advice, supplies, connections—I will help you two as much as I can.” She unconsciously placed it by GoGo’s mouth, GoGo bit the cards and was about to merrily cart it off on all fours.

They both paused. The doctor coughed and looked at the ceiling. The werewolf took the slightly soggy cards out of her mouth and stuffed them into her jacket pocket.

“Goodnight, GoGo,” Terry said, still observing the ceiling, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Terry,” GoGo said, coming back up from all fours and walking out of the room, “See you then.”

* * *

“Okay, good news: I’m basically a werewolf Olympian.” GoGo started, “Bad news: I’m also free game.”

Honey’s face fell. “Oh, my god, is there anything we can do to change that?”

The werewolf blushed and looked away. “Um… yeah it, uh, involves you, Honey Lemon.”

The chemist blinked. “It involves… me?”

Fred’s jaw dropped. _“No.”_

GoGo coughed. “… Yes…”

Honey Lemon stared at her lover and her friend. “What’s going on…?”

“Honey Lemon and GoGo are totally blood bonding!” Fred yelled, rocketing out of his chair and making a circle around the room, “Oh, man, I wish I could call the others and Aunt Cass and your parents to come see this, this is momentous, man!”

The chemist gawped and flailed her arms about. “Freddie, what are you talking about?!”

“Honey.” The werewolf laid a paw on her shoulder, “Basically it’s uh…” She looked away, coughed, and mumbled, “Take it away, Fred.”

The geek screeched to a halt right beside the couple. “Oh, yeah, it’s basically just totally Midnight Society Marriage!”

Honey’s jaw dropped, and her face burned completely red. GoGo slowly took her paw back.

After a brief pause, Fred continued. “And, technically speaking, slavery.”

Honey blinked and bit her lip. GoGo observed some of the decorations in the guest lounge.

“Anyway, what happens is, you, Honey Lemon, cut your wrist and let her, GoGo, drink your blood. Your magic will mix with her, and her with you, and you two have will have a connection for all of eternity; you can totally feel part of what the other is feeling at all times, GoGo will go from falling over you to lapping at your toes at every waking moment…”

Honey Lemon smiled and nodded her head slowly. GoGo coughed and discretely tried to cross her legs.

“And whatever you say, Honey, GoGo will be pretty much forced to follow!”

“Let’s do it.” The chemist declared.

“Honey…” GoGo muttered, “Are you sure?”

Honey Lemon chuckled, and took her girlfriend’s paws. “Well, I was already pretty much planning on marrying you anyway!” She paused, and cringed, “Oh, _my god,_ that was even more pathetic than when we were at the gardens, I am so sorry…”

“It’s okay, Honey.” GoGo smiled. “And you know what? This new Midnight Society is completely absolutely fucking insane, and there’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.”

“Shall we seal the deal in blood, ladies?” Fred said, laying his hand over one of GoGo’s paws.

Honey Lemon sniffed, blinked away her tears, and held up her wrist. Fred ran one of the werewolf’s sharp claws over her skin, making a neat horizontal slash. GoGo leaned down and started lapping up the blood.

GoGo pulled away when the wound had magically healed, and the last of the blood had been licked off. She looked at Honey Lemon, and immediately felt her heart pound quadruple time, a warmth exploding all throughout her body, a soothing voice that told her, “Everything’s gonna be alright, so long as we’re together.”

Honey Lemon took her wrist back, idly touching the faded scar. She locked eyes with GoGo, and her eyes flew wide open, energy surging through every pore of her body, her nerves supercharged, her muscles tightened, a deafening voice that roared, “Let’s kick ass, hand-in-hand!”

Fred stepped back and admired the newly bonded couple. “Alright! Honey/GoGo is official!” He cheered and hailed the hospital staff over for a bottle of champagne, and glasses.

“Oh, and by the way, Honey Lemon?” The geek added, “You better be real careful about what you say around GoGo now. Those commands?” He thanked an attendant for handing him the bottle, they stood by with a tray for the glasses, “It’s gonna be like, super-effective now.”

The witch chuckled. “I’ll be careful, Freddie; I’m not just going to go out and yell ‘Roll over, GoGo!’”

GoGo dropped to the floor and rolled over, knocking both human and witch down to the ground.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…” Honey Lemon mumbled, “GoGo, off! Freddie, is this reversible?”

“No.” Fred shook his head, as the werewolf scrambled back up, “It’s permanent until one or both of you die.”

“Oh.” Honey Lemon blinked, “I… probably should have asked that earlier, huh?”

“Yep...”

“Well, too late for that!” Fred cried, as he popped open the bottle of bubbly, “It’s farewell to normal, _hello_ to supernatural!”


	6. Hello to Supernatural

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Formerly the first chapter of "Bewitched and Bewildered" before the author realized that was a terrible way to to do things.

“I’m not going to have sex with you while I’m transformed, Honey.” GoGo said.

“Okay,” Honey Lemon replied, “Must be a lot for you to process first before you even start thinking of that, huh?”

The werewolf sighed, and looked at herself. “You could say that. Anything more to discuss about our relationship?”

“No,” The witch reached over and stroked her werewolf’s fur, “You get some sleep. It’s been a long, long night for all of us.”

GoGo gave a pleased rumble, closed her eyes, and went to sleep on one of St. Vincent’s luxurious guest beds. Honey Lemon quietly stood up and walked out of the room and back to the guest lounge.

Fred was already asleep on one of the recliners, a smile on his face. His phone had been left out on his side, as with numerous papers with hundreds of notes and instructions to others and himself written on them. A cursory glance brought up interesting titles like _“Petition to Council for Hiro to become a Technomancer,” “’Ghost Blade’ Technique Lessons for Wasabi,”_ and one of particular interest to Honey, _“Honey Lemon’s Qualifications for being a Sire despite being a Childe and Embraced after GoGo.”_

The woman in question sighed and slumped down into a free recliner. “Sire…” She said to herself, feeling the word roll off her tongue. _‘Doesn’t really sound right…’_ She thought, _‘But then again, what really is right anymore?”_

Honey Lemon pulled out a card from her pocket—“Dr. Theresa Kovaks, Internal Medicine.” _‘Otherwise known as Terry, Supernatural Veterinarian and GoGo’s doctor…’_ She thought, _‘GoGo said I could ask her for help about anything… but what is anything? Only one way to find out.’_

She was about to reach for her phone before she remembered it had been lost during the fiasco earlier that night. The witch sighed, and walked on over to one of the hospital’s landlines.

“Hello, Terry?”

_“Honey Lemon, hi! You need anything?”_

Honey Lemon chuckled. “To the point, aren’t you?”

_“The Society loves its brevity.”_

“Figures… anyway, I need some advice about this whole…” Honey sucked in a breath, “’Sire’ thing…”

_“Do you need me to run you down about all the mechanics and legalities? Or clarify something Mr. L. was ambiguous about?”_

“No,” She shook her head, “Fred was rather clear on those it’s just… I need regular advice of how to handle being essentially a slave owner to my girlfriend.”

_“Ah, of course. I’ve been and still am an adoptive Sire for many werewolves, Honey, and the best advice I can give you are: communicate constantly, treat them as equals, and don’t hold the leash too tightly. Just because you basically have total control over them doesn’t mean you should—besides, we’re witches, not vampires.”_

Honey Lemon nodded. “Yeah, kind of hard to believe they’ve been blending in for all this time.”

_“The business world is more cutthroat than you could ever imagine—though sometimes, biting works just as effectively.”_

The younger witch shuddered.

_“Sorry.”_

“It’s fine. Personal question though…” Honey Lemon pursed her lips, “Have you been…”

_“Romantically involved with any of them? Sadly, no. While I have gotten a lot of interest nothing’s really clicked to me like you and GoGo have. I’d say you two were soulmates but then that’d delve into magic, and that’s not my field.”_

“So I should go ask a magician?” Honey Lemon joked.

_“No. Magic is even more mysterious to actual magicians. It’s a hydra of questions; basically, science with more sparks from your fingers.”_

The chemist blinked. “Huh.”

_“You’ll get over it. Back on track, you two are good kids, and you obviously love and care for each other, and have been through a lot of trials and challenges that prove you can both step up to the plate when the situation calls for it. I’m sure you two will do just fine.”_

Honey Lemon nodded, and smiled. “Thanks, Terry.”

_“No problem. I’m running out of time for this call; anything else?”_

“Yeah…” The chemist sucked in another breath, “Embarrassing question, but what do I do if I want to have sex with GoGo while she’s transformed?”

_“Physical restraints, lots of self-control, body armour, or a combination of any of the above.’_

Honey Lemon blushed.

_‘Also, we need your input for your Welcome Kit: would you like GoGo’s collar in metal, studded, leather, silk, natural fibers, or some other material?”_

“Uh…” The younger witch bit her lip, “What would you recommend for her? You know, because she looks like a fluffy Rottweiler with hair and all?”

_“You can’t go wrong with studded for the working dog types. Metal has a soft lining to prevent chafing of any sort but the application is more for guard dogs and attaching to armour. Leather is good if you don’t like the flash of the metal studs.”_

“Studded it is.”

_“Great, your kit is complete. It’s being delivered as we speak. I think you’ll find it comprehensive. And just in time, too, here’s my next patient. Any last minute help?”_

“Nothing. Thanks, Terry!”        

_“No problem. And by anything, I did mean_ anything _you might need. Till the next, Honey.’_

“Bye.”

Honey Lemon put down the phone, and looked up at the ceiling. She sucked in another breath, and sighed. ‘ _Lots of things to think about…’_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. One of the hospital staff came in with a knapsack.

“We have your and Ms. Tomago’s Welcome Kit, Ms. Honey Lemon; where shall we put it?” They asked.

Honey Lemon gestured to the coffee table nearby. “Right here, thank you!” When the attendant had dropped it off, she leaned over and opened it. “Let’s see what we got here…”

_‘Studded collar, as promised,’_ The witch thought as she laid it off to the side, _‘Oooh, a black hoodie, sweatpants, and a face mask, definitely good for getting GoGo around without attracting attention… Mr. Noh’s Werewolf Flea Powder for Magically Enhanced Parasites…’_

Honey Lemon went through the rest of the bag. Currencies and vouchers, notes and instructions for Society businesses. Two new phones, one plain black, the other with a pink case, both on the Midnight Society Information Network (MSIN), and loaded with contacts for Council representatives, hospitals with supernatural wards, and transportation for getting around the city.

There was a note that said any and all selfies and photos made on the new phone would be uploaded to the Society network, not the regular internet, which meant she was free to shoot what she wanted as she pleased. She did so eagerly, snapping a photo of the items she’d already pulled out of the welcome kit.

Honey Lemon dug through the rest of it and thought to herself, _‘Maybe she meant comprehensive as in it’s what we’ll need on a day-to-day basis…’_

Then she found four sets of extra-large handcuffs with padded insides, along with a master key.

The witch chuckled. “Comprehensive indeed!”

* * *

“Excellent work, GoGo,” Terry said, “You seem to have the complete hang of changing between forms.”

“So I’m free to be human till the next full moon, right?” GoGo asked as she stretched out her now human limbs.

Terry nodded. “Basically, yes—unless you or Honey Lemon wishes it.”

The engineer looked over to the chemist and sighed. “You want to see me naked in my wolf form, don’t you?”

From her position off to the side, Honey Lemon blushed. “How did you… oh, right, Blood Bond.”

Terry nodded. “Better get used to not having that many secrets between you two, girls. Afraid I have other werewolves to teach, till the next.” They said their farewells, and the doctor was gone, leaving the two of them alone in the guest bedroom.

“So…” Honey Lemon started, casting a glance to the side.

GoGo sighed again. “Look, if it’s for you?” She started pulling off her ripped and warped shirt, “I’ll do it. I need to go take a shower anyway.”

The chemist squealed, and ran over to her girlfriend, eagerly wrapping her in a hug. “Thank you, thank you! Oh, I’ve been dying to see where else that purple fur grows!” She let go and retreated some distance away to let GoGo completely strip and transform.

“Oh wow,” Honey Lemon said as she slowly circled around the werewolf, her Society phone held out for the accompanying photos, “Your colouring does in fact follow the Rottweiler pattern! Fascinating. Lift your tail for me, please?”

GoGo did.

“Oh my god!” Honey cried.

“What?”

“There’s a heart on your butt!”


	7. Supernatural Side-Effects Include

“Becoming a werewolf?” GoGo said from Honey Lemon’s lap, “That I could take. Looking like a fluffy Rottwelier with hair? I could take that, too. The heart on my butt? That just _crossed the line.”_

Honey Lemon kept on stroking her girlfriend’s hair. “If it helps, I think it’s cute…”

“I know you do,” GoGo grumbled, “Which is why I haven’t run straight to Mad Dog and tore his throat out.”

The chemist blinked. “GoGo, we haven’t seen or heard from Mad Dog ever since he bit you. Even the killing’s stopped.”

GoGo looked up to her girlfriend, and sighed. “I know where he is, alright? I don’t know why, or how, I just do.”

Honey Lemon paused. “Do you think we should tell the others about this…?”

“I don’t have a name, or a place, or even a description. I just know. Ugh, this is so weird and frustrating!” GoGo’s fur started to grow out of her skin once more. Her fists clenched, and her nails started to turn back into claws.

“There, there,” The chemist said as she resumed stroking, “It’s gonna be alright…”

The fur receded back into normal hair. Normal nails dug into normal palms.

“No. It’s not.” GoGo pushed herself off Honey’s lap, “And you know what? It’s never going to be.” She sighed, “All we can do is woman up.”

The intercom buzzed. “Hey, sorry to interrupt your moment,” Fred said, “But I totally got a class to get to. You guys good?”

GoGo stood up from the bed and walked to over to the device on their side to answer. “Yeah, we’re good.”

“Gotcha! See you guys at the Nerd Lab tonight! Also, your cover stories are on the coffee table!”

The both looked at each other, and blinked. “Cover stories?”

* * *

“Rode off on it?!” Honey Lemon lied through her teeth, “Are you crazy? I ran off as soon as the guard distracted it! …Of course I dropped my phone, wouldn’t you? …I headed back home… You can ask my landlady, I was there last night… Well, I’m certain that the guards had other things to look out for than a Latina that may or may not have been at the location of the sighting! …Can I please have my phone back now? …Open it up so you can look for evidence? Of course, of course, of course…”

Honey Lemon hoped they couldn’t see that she was sweating. The chemist keyed in her password wrong twice, and the officer and security staff were starting to get suspicious. But when she thumbed through her photos, every image she had taken of GoGo while she was transformed had been mysteriously deleted.

The chemist forced another smile and patiently let them trawl her phone for evidence. Once they were sure that there was absolutely nothing in the device that could help explain the mysterious black blur that had terrorized the campus last night, they let her go.

The two lovers reunited outside of the SFIT security office, and ducked to a quiet alley on the side.

“So, how’d your grilling go?” Honey Lemon asked, “Felt a lot of annoyance back there.”

“Great,” GoGo deadpanned, “One guy was a werewolf, his partner was a witch; both told me that this is the first and last public screw-up they’ll let slide.”

Honey Lemon nodded. “They’ve got guys on the inside?”

“They’ve got guys everywhere.”

Both their stomachs growled. The engineer’s thrice as loud as her girlfriend’s.

“You free for a late breakfast?” Honey Lemon asked, “The cafeteria’s having a special on bacon and pancakes today.”

“Yeah.”

“Got any classes today?”

“Just the one this afternoon.”

“Two here. Meet at the Nerd Lab after breakfast?” Honey Lemon smiled.

GoGo smiled back. “It’s a date.”

* * *

GoGo tried to eat her massive tower of pancakes and hill of bacon in peace.

“I know, right?” Filtered in from an adjacent table, “That thing must have been like six feet tall or something!”

The engineer skewered another forkful of greasy meat and syrup-soaked pancake, and shoved it into her mouth.

Clear on the other side of the cafeteria, and clear as day, “Werewolves! Friggin’ werewolves in our school! The guards are useless, should have shot that thing dead before it could kill someone.”

GoGo growled through her mouthful of food.

“Could you pass the strawberry syrup?” Honey Lemon asked from across the table.

She nodded, and grabbed the bottle.

“Nah, it must have been closer to like, what, four feet or something? I dunno, man, it didn’t seem that big.”

“Hah! If it was that size, I could totally take it on in a fight. Just kick its ass, _watcha!_ And send it running crying all the way home with its tail between its legs!”

Pink goop splattered all over GoGo’s hand. Her eye twitched, and the plastic started to crumple. The conversation and the speculation kept on flooding into her ears; she tried to tune them out, but a part of her refused to stand down from the challenge, to find the punk and—

“GoGo, down!” Honey Lemon whispered.

GoGo let out a muffled grumble, handed the mangled bottle over, and started chewing as hard and fast as she could, completely swallowing the whole mess in seconds. The chemist looked around, hoping no one noticed her pouring with both hands covering the bottle.

“Do you have earphones?” Honey Lemon asked. GoGo shook her head no. The chemist reached into her purse and handed her a pair, pink and cat-themed. “Play the loudest music you have, and focus exclusively on that, okay?”

The engineer pulled out her phone and started thumbing to her playlists as she plugged in the earphones. She pressed play on her collection of obscenely loud, screaming, crashing drums, and furious guitar punk, and plugged the pink buds in as fast as she could.

The earphones were yanked out as soon as the music started. Her ears rang with a horrible high pitched noise, and GoGo whined even louder as she covered her ears with her hands. Honey Lemon yelped, and knocked over her stack of pancakes as she leaned over to grab her.

The other tables were staring at the commotion, but GoGo wasn’t looking at them. The only thing in her sights was her phone—the volume was only at two bars of ten.

“…me? GoGo? Can you hear me?”

* * *

“GoGo? Your levels of cortisol appear to be extraordinarily high, indicating high levels of stress. Do you wish to talk about what is causing it? Relating your problems and issues to a trusted friend or family member will vastly help improve your emotional state.”

GoGo put down her tools, and walked over to Baymax, gripping the edge of her workstation. “No, Baymax, I do not want to talk about my problems.”

“Refusing to talk about your problems is an extremely unhealthy practice, GoGo.” The robot replied.

“Baymax, please…” GoGo growled, her knuckles turning white, “Just shut up and leave me alone, alright? I am satisfied with my—”

“But GoGo—“

The hair on the back of her neck sprouted into thick black fur. For a moment, her eyes dilated into slits. Her nails dug into the metal, slowly turning back into claws. But before she could snap her teeth, Honey Lemon pulled Baymax away and back to the elevator.

“Baymax, I’m sure GoGo appreciates your concern,” The chemist said, “But I don’t think she wants to talk about her problems right now, okay?”

“But delaying treatment will only—“

“Woah, Honey, what’re you carting Baymax off for?”

“Ah, Hiro!” The chemist cried as she shoved the big robot right back into his owner’s arms, “I really need you to keep Baymax away from GoGo right now.”

The machinist blinked. “What’d he do?”

The robot raised one of his arms. “I am attempting to treat GoGo’s negative mood by offering a sympathetic ‘ear’ for her to talk to and ‘vent.’”

Honey Lemon leaned down into Hiro’s ear and whispered something into his ear.

The roboticist took one look at Baymax, then to GoGo quietly seething at her workstation, and nodded, red creeping onto his cheeks. “Riiight, gotcha,” He started pulling the robot even further away, “Come on, Baymax, let’s go!”

Honey Lemon didn’t bother to listen to the robot’s protests as she rushed back to GoGo’s workstation. “Outside. _Now.”_ She whispered, “We’re going to find somewhere private, and we’re calling Terry…”

* * *

_“I want you to kick GoGo right in the crotch.”_ Terry said.

“You want me to what?!” “You want her to what?!”

_“You heard me! Kick your girlfriend, right in the crotch, right now!”_

GoGo growled at the phone, deeper and more menacing than any human could.

“I—are you—should I be doing this?!” Honey spluttered.

_“Yes, and right this instant! Don’t disobey me, kick her in the crotch right now!”_

“I don’t want to!”

_“Do it!”_

“I said I don’t want to!”

_“Do it or I’ll—“_

The engineer snatched the phone and started yelling into it. “Listen, Terry, I don’t care if you’re a doctor or—“

Honey Lemon screamed, her hands flying up to her mouth.

GoGo dropped the phone, and looked at herself. Her clothes were starting to tear, her body already covered in the beginnings of a full coat of black and purple fur. Her hands had already started morphing into claws. And all the while, her muzzle half-formed and two inches long, poked out from her face.

_“How far is she?”_

Honey Lemon gingerly picked up the phone from the grass. “Halfway there…” She mumbled.

_“Is she reverting back already?”_

GoGo closed her eyes, and tried to turn back to normal. She shook and whined, but the transformations weren’t budging.

_“Okay. We_ do _have a problem.”_


	8. Soothing What Ails You

“What’s this?” GoGo asked as the courier handed her a package with St. Vincent’s seal on top. Honey Lemon signed for the delivery.

“Solution to your problem.” They remounted their bike, “Temporary, at any rate.”

They found a secluded, isolated spot once more, and opened up the package. Inside were several bags filled with herbs, a card, and a note:

“Start munching. You’ll know when to stop.”

-Terry

* * *

**Wolfsbane FAQ**

_> What is Wolfsbane?_

_Wolfsbane, the Midnight Society strain specifically, is a magically infused herb that helps suppress the symptoms of Lycanthropy, otherwise known as the state of being a Werewolf._

_Wolfsbane is known by many names, though the most common slang and alternative terms are: “Werewolf Weed,” “Beast-Be-Gone,” “Dognip,” “Beast Weed,” and “Werewolf Grass.”_

_> What are the effects of Wolfsbane?_

_Wolfsbane helps prevent of accidental transformation due to stress or overstimulation, calms the Beast and violent urges, and relieves any and all transformation-induced pains._

_Please note that a full moon will immediately negate all effects of Wolfsbane until sunrise, however soon or late the user has taken it._

_Those seeking to avoid overstimulation from the environment, reduce their dietary requirements, or lower their cravings and susceptibility to raw meat may consult the back of this pamphlet for the appropriate resources._

GoGo nodded, shoved another handful of the herb into her mouth, and chewed.

_> Is Wolfsbane a cure for Lycanthropy?_

_There is no cure for Lycanthropy. Trust us, we’ve tried._

The engineer grumbled through her mouthful, and kept reading.

_> How do I use Wolfsbane?_

_Wolfsbane is ingested orally. The most common way is to eat the herbs, but it is also just as effective to make a tea, mix into a juice or other form of drink, or melt it down in a potion. (Instructions below.)_

_> How much Wolfsbane should I use?_

_There is no set dosage for Wolfsbane. Users will be able to instinctively know when they need more, when they have had their fill, or when they are close to overdosing._

_> Is Wolfsbane safe to use?_

_Though normally extremely poisonous, lycanthropes AKA werewolves are unaffected by the harmful effects. Though there are still negative repercussions when overdosing (see below), the herb will harmlessly pass through the user’s system within 24 hours, which is also how long a collective dosage taken within an hour of each other will last._

_Wolfsbane is processed in the digestive system, and exits through the urinary and excretory systems. If you don’t know where these are and what will happen, you have much bigger priorities than reading this._

GoGo chuckled.

_> What are the symptoms of Wolfsbane Overdose?     _

_Muscular pain, physical weakness, and vomiting. Though regurgitating undigested Wolfsbane will help the sufferer tremendously, any amounts of the drug that have already been digested and processed will continue to wreak havoc on their system._

_> How can I get more Wolfsbane?_

_Wolfsbane is available from any Society associated hospital. You may also purchase it at the Midnight Bazaar, or call the Wolfsbane Delivery Hotline._

GoGo checked her Society phone. She already had it listed at the top in the favourites list.

_All purchases of Wolfsbane are covered by your Society insurance plan, and are essentially free._

_Remember: The potential costs of a werewolf-based disaster far, far, FAR outweigh the costs of this herb, so be a responsible member of the Midnight Society and chow if you need to!_

The rest of it was instructions on how to turn Wolfsbane into a tea, a potion, a drink, or even use it for dishes. GoGo handed the manual over to Honey Lemon and kept on munching till she’d emptied a sizable bag of the stuff.

As she chewed, her transformation steadily reversed, the howling in her head screaming for blood and violence grew quieter and quieter until she could hear it no more. The engineer took a deep breath, and sighed, her shoulders growing slack, her body back to its completely human form.

“How are you feeling?” Honey Lemon asked.

“Much, much better…” GoGo tilted the last of it into her mouth, and crumpled up the bag. “This Wolfsbane stuff is pretty effective.”

The chemist smiled, and hugged her. “Good. I really don’t want for those people to _really_ have to put you down.”

The courier frowned. “That’s a little grim.”

Honey Lemon sighed, pulled away, and looked right into her girlfriend’s eyes. “The Society is really grim, GoGo. I listened to every word Fred said. These people do not joke around when it comes to their safety, and especially when it comes to getting what they want. Promise me you won’t ever underestimate them, or ever take them with anything but complete seriousness?”

“Promise.”

“Good.” The chemist let go, and stood up. “Ah, it’s too early in the day. Let’s get back to the Nerd Lab and get some work done, shall we?”

“Wait, Honey!” GoGo stepped forward and grabbed her arm before she could take a step forward. “I need to test if this Wolfsbane stuff really worked. I want you to kick me in the crotch, for real.”

The chemist blinked. “I think Terry was just saying that to get you riled up.”

“Well why not use insults, then?” The engineer poised herself in a posture extremely vulnerable to groin attacks, “Come on, please, kick me in the crotch.”

Honey Lemon did. She then cringed, both from the emphatic and the very, _very_ real pain from the blood bond.

“OH!” GoGo slowly crumpled into a ball on the ground.

The Beast inside of her roared, screamed, and clawed for blood, but a flood of horror, guilt, and a soothing chemical haze washed all over her mind, and drowned it out into nothing. Her features remained just as human as ever, nary a spike of fur or a fingernail changing.

“Oh, my god, are you alright?!” Honey cried as she helped her back up.

“I’ll live…” GoGo wheezed.

“Did it work?”

“Yes! No need to replicate the results—oh…”

They walked back to the Nerd Lab, an awkward, pained stride in the engineer’s steps.

* * *

“Woah, GoGo!” Hiro jumped, “Didn’t expect to see you up here… look, I’m trying to keep Baymax away from the rest of the Nerd Lab so if he—“

“Hiro.” The engineer smiled. “Relax. I’m only here to apologize to Baymax.”

“Oh.” The roboticist blinked. “In that case,” He opened the door to his private laboratory, “Come on in!”

Baymax was standing on his charging station, still activated. He waved, and GoGo waved back as she walked up to him.

“Hey, Baymax? I’m really, really sorry that I snapped at you earlier. It’s just that… I just came back from the hospital last night and they had some really bad news for me, and I guess I was just lashing out at everyone.”

“Apology accepted, GoGo.” The robot seemed to smile. “I am very glad you are aware of your projection, and the destructive effects it has. Would you like to relate to me this ‘bad news’ so you may ‘vent’?”

The engineer bit her lip. Hiro turned around and said, “Uh, Baymax, pretty sure the kind of problem she has isn’t the kind she’d want to tell you… or me.”

GoGo nodded quickly and made her way out of the room, “Hiro’s right. Thanks for the offer, Baymax.”

“I sincerely recommend you find a trusted friend or a family member to relate this problem to, GoGo.” The robot said before she closed the door.

The engineer stepped back out to the hallways of the second floor labs, and was about to go out to the elevator. Instead, she stepped into the bathrooms on that floor, and mercifully, found it empty of anyone else at this hour. She hid inside a stall and pulled out her phone.

_“Hey GoGo, sup?”_ Fred said.

“Fred, do you have five minutes? I need to ask you about this Wolfsbane stuff.”

_“Woah! You’re using werewolf weed already?”_

GoGo frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”

_“Well, no, lots of werewolves use it but… normally it’s only after the first four full moons, not just the first. Ya see, werewolves are kind of like us, growing up, only with more magic; a full-moon night has powerful effects on werewolves._

_“Of course, the most obvious one is that you transform and anything you take to repress the curse do zilch, but the second is that most werewolves… they grow more powerful with each full moon. They change, and sometimes, not for the better.”_

“Wait, so you’re saying at the next full moon…”

_“You might turn from a fluffy Rottweiler with hair to a full-blown Mad Dog style werewolf, who kind of looks like a fluffy Rottweiler with hair.”_

GoGo didn’t realize she was shaking. “… Is there anything I can do to stop it?”

_“You already have! Honey Lemon! Your blood bond helps keep the Beast and the more dramatic changes at bay; so long as you have a magical link to an anchor for your sanity and humanity—i.e. Honey—you’re good.”_

“So that’s why Lone Wolves are free game?”

_“Yep. When a werewolf goes Feral, it is not a pretty sight. So it’s either they find a Sire to bond with—either their parent werewolf, or someone else—to keep them in check and under control, or they get used to living with a target painted on their back all the time. The Society lives by ‘Better Safe than Sorry.’ Same goes with witches without a Coven, and vampires without a Clan.”_

“And the wolfsbane will help?”

_“Yep! Pretty sure this is just growing pains; your body’s probably still not used to having that much Mad Dog in it. Since you didn’t go completely crazy, go on a rampage, and murder sixty-seventy people like the best estimates said, I’d say you’re good! Just keep on munching that wolfsbane, and stick with Honey, alright? You’ll be fine.”_

GoGo smiled. “Thanks, Freddie. I feel a lot better now”

_“Anytime, GoGo. Speaking of which, I gotta go: there’s a discussion about Woman’s Suffrage and the Galactica Gals, and I can’t miss that! Later!”_

“Later.” The engineer hung up, and happily leaned against the wall.

Then, her phone buzzed—her Society phone.


	9. Sound and Fury

Honey, GoGo, and Terry sat in three reserved seats in the very front of the auditorium. The rest of the spacious venue was being filled by Citizens of every walk of the life, normal human beings suddenly transforming into nagas, demons, zombies, imps, and what have you once they let their glamours down.

On the stage was an elegant wooden table, four very different figures seated on the chairs.

“Now we have all assembled,” Said a chisel jawed, smartly dressed vampire as he stood up stock straight, “I, the Vampire and Magicians representative, vote that the meeting commence.”

“Let the fury of the foghorn fill the fledglings’ and the physician’s ears,” Said a witch in a multi-coloured, sequined dress, leaning forward and idly toying with the charms around her neck, “I, the Witch, Warlock, and Werewolf representative, vote that the meeting commence.”

“Tonight’s entertainment should be _good,”_ Rumbled a horned man in a casual suit as he leaned back into his seat and propped his hooves onto the table, “I, the Demon and Otherworld representative, vote that the meeting commence.”

“Let’s get this ball rollin’,” Said a zombie in a 50’s showgirl styled dress, her words tinted with a strong American accent of some sort, “I, the Zombie, Other Monsters, and Humanity Representative, vote that the meeting commence.”

GoGo and Honey Lemon peered at the assembled group of supernatural beings with varying levels of professionalism and distinctly different personalities. They shared a look, then to Terry. “This is the Council?” They both asked.

“Representatives.” The doctor corrected, “Trust me, it only gets weirder the higher up you go. Time does terrible things to mortals, stranger still to immortals.”

The vampire cleared his throat. All three women quieted down, and relaxed back into their theater seats. The younger witch held her lover’s hand. The other assembled audience members looked on in mixes of amusement, disdain, and unfazed expressions.

“We’re all busy Citizens, so let us commence to the heart of the matter: we are here tonight to discuss the fate of Dr. Kovaks, and the fledgling werewolf and fledgling witch—bonded, no less!” He took a moment to recoil in disgust, “She had Embraced into our society. Dr. Kovaks?”

“Yes, councilman?” Terry did not stand up, nor did it seem necessary to.

“You are well aware that our Society runs on a very strict set of rules and guidelines, yes? Our enforcements are strict, are supervision is almost omnipotent, our punishments **dire.”**

“Yes, sir.”

“You are aware that, though it is not illegal, it is frowned upon to let a fledgling Lone Wolf blood bond with another fledgling, most especially one that was literally just Embraced, after the bond had been sealed?”

“Yes, sir.”

The vampire narrowed his eyes. “And what is your reasoning for this massive, disastrous gaff? You have been practicing and a member of our Society for over 60 years, yes?”

“70 years, sir. And as for your question, sir: I was merely doing what I thought was the best for my patients.”

“The best for your patients?!” The councilman yelled, “Is the ‘best for your patients’ throwing them into our world without a lifeline? Letting the blind lead the blind? What’s next, we elect Council members by the gut-feelings of snappy upstarts?”

The zombie sniggered. “Hey, it worked for me and my Charlie, honey!”

The vampire snapped to his associate, held his finger to his lips, and shushed him with as much breath as his atrophied lungs could contain in a single, unnecessary breath. When he snapped back to Terry, the other two members put on amused faces.

No one in the audience so much as chuckled or smirked, much to GoGo’s disappointment.

Terry was similarly unfazed, or very, very good at hiding her mirth. “I think we all have ample evidence that GoGo and Honey Lemon are more than capable of taking care of themselves, and keeping secrets, sir; they are full-time college students, part-time workers, and part-time superheroes.

“They maintain above average to outstanding grades not counting their projects in the SFIT labs, are some of the best workers in their occupations, and consistently ‘save the day.’ The mortal realm has yet to even have an inkling of their true identities, too.

“Isn’t this proof enough that they can handle great amounts of responsibility for a volatile, precarious, and fast-moving society such as ours?”

“Just because they occasionally run around in silly costumes and beat up criminals does not make them qualified to join the Midnight Society!” The Council vampire yelled, pointing accusing fingers (he used both hands, and a cardboard cutout) at the three of them, “Fledglings are fledglings! Though you will most assuredly contest that you and the junior Mr. L. are competent enough educators and mentors…”

Terry was going to do just that.

“… I still believe that leaving them to their own devices, without the steady, guiding, and _firm_ hand of a _proper_ Sire will only lead to disaster to them, and our Society! I vote that the werewolf be euthanized, the witch have her memory and magic stripped away from her, and a hefty fine levied on you, Dr. Kovaks!”

GoGo snarled and rocketed out of her seat. Honey Lemon squeezed her hand, to calm them both.

The vampire slammed his hands on the table! The furniture could not take the supernatural strength and immediately broke apart at the point of impact, sending the representative falling straight to the floor with a rain of splinters and sawdust.

This time, audience and fellow Council representatives laughed. The demon merely set his hooves onto the floor like the other two.

“Silence!” The councilman cried as he picked himself off the floor. A team of seven was on the stage immediately, two to remove the wrecked table, five to prim and polish the undead man back to his former glory. Once his personal grooming team had departed, he sat back to his seat and the rest of the meeting went on without a table.

The audience and the council representatives gradually quieted down. The zombie rep had one last chuckle. The vampire performed his extremely long “Shh!” once more, and she just resigned herself to smiling.

“I do believe execution and mind-wiping is what you ordered for our precedent, did you not, sir?” Terry countered, “And I do believe that the motions were denied, and the two of them have gone on to be outstandingly productive members of our Society.”

The vampire sputtered vindictive, incomplete sentences.

“The Rook still stings from the paragon and his progeny,” The Council witch said. “I vote against this decision.”

“What?!” He cried, “I am not--!”

“Agreed,” The demon hummed, “Our vampiric friend appears biased. And amusingly so; please, _do not_ change your position any time soon. I vote against, if only to keep the show going. You three are a simply _delightful_ story, aren’t you?” He grinned at Terry, Honey Lemon, and GoGo, his mouth full of crooked fangs.

The witch recoiled, the werewolf threw a protective arm over her lover, the doctor was unfazed.

“Yep!” The zombie added, “Still got his prissy panties in pretzels over Justice Man and his kid. We ain’t doin’ nothin’, pal.”

The vampire tried to slam his palms again, before he remembered why there was no table to slam his palms onto. He glared at his compatriots, leaning out of his chair to do so. He sat back, sighed, and announced, “As the True Council has already acquitted the crime of their public faux paus on the grounds of SFIT, and failing to return to St. Vincent’s hospital in a timely fashion…” He sucked in a huge breath, sighed, and sagged in a defeated posture, “We shall move onto the next issue.”

He sat up stock straight again. “Dr. Kovaks, according to the hospital records, you had sent a very large package of Wolfsbane—six kilogram bags—to your patient, Ms. Tomago, on emergency, express delivery. Is this true?”

Terry nodded. “Yes it is, sir.”

The vampire narrowed his eyes. “This is an astounding amount of Wolfsbane, don’t you agree?”

“I believe sir knows that the amount of Wolfsbane that can be considered ‘astounding’ varies from werewolf to werewolf, but yes, six kilos of the herb is several levels above the median.”

“And why exactly would a fledgling need so much? And before you answer, Dr. Kovaks, I want to hear it directly from the fledgling and her…” He scrunched up his face, as if trying to swallow something incredibly unpleasant, “… Sire.”

GoGo and Honey Lemon looked at Terry. She just nodded her head sadly.

“I keep transforming on accident.” The werewolf replied.

The vampire brightened up considerably. Or, at least, how lively and sunny an atrophied corpse could be.

“And why is that, fledgling?”

“She has trouble reigning in her violent urges and anger all of a sudden…” The witch replied, “It’s… the Beast, I think.”

The rep leaned out of his chair, grinning so wide that his long, elegantly filed fangs gleamed in the light. “And what set it off, exactly?”

GoGo bared her teeth at him, Honey squeezed her hand even tighter. “Me wanting to kill Mad Dog after he left a surprise present on me.” The werewolf deadpanned, “A guy talking about how he was going to kick my ass, even if I knew he wasn’t talking to me directly. My friend’s robot not leaving me alone after I told him to.”

“Oh? The slightest incitement and irritation can cause such a dramatic response? That level of instinctive bloodlust is quite powerful—you might even say it’s… uncontrollable. Don’t you agree?”

GoGo and Honey looked at Terry once more. This time, she sighed, shrugged, and nodded her head.

“Yes.” GoGo deadpanned, and Honey whispered.

“Aha!” The vampire rep rocketed off of his seat, and knocked back his chair. “Then I vote we impound the fledgling werewolf on the grounds of being an uncontrollable, dangerous beast!”

“Wolfsbane stays the baying and barking of the Beast, and the fledgling for sure will feast till the bloodlust is stayed.” The Council witch said, “That’s what the dosage does, you dolt. The fledgling remains free, I vote against.”

“Such a sorry end to so much potential, is it not?” The demon commented, “I vote against. This can’t just end here, that would be a _travesty.”_

“Honey, if anyone needs to calm the fuck down, you ain’t gonna be lookin’ at ‘im as long as you un-live.” The zombie said, “I vote against.”

The vampire glowered at his compatriots again, tried to sit down, and tragically, remembered his seat was down. There was a quiet round of internal sighs as he snapped his fingers and one of his assistants righted his chair, and fluffed it up for him before he returned to his seat.

He sighed, and sank, defeated and disdainful. “Onto the next topic… one that I’m sure will interest all of you in the room… the Council shall now discuss the rogue werewolf known as Mad Dog, and his cult of anarchic degenerates, the Heralds.”

The vamipire grinned again. “A topic I’m rather sure the fledgling werewolf and her Sire will be very interested in.”


	10. Hearing for the Heralds

“The Heralds are shameless. They recruit the dregs of human society, impressionable teenagers, mentally unstable mortals, and dangerous persons with a bone to pick, all itching for a chance to unleash their wrath upon the world.

“The Heralds are numerous. Though majority of their number fall easily to mortal or Citizen alike—“

“Their deaths are poor shows in and of themselves,” The demon rumbled, “Though they certainly make excellent compilations, if you need a cheap chuckle or five or so mortal minutes to waste.”

“And any guy with a half-a-brain, and about eight shells and a shotgun can take care of them.” The zombie said with a chuckle. “They suck.”

The vampire cleared his throat again. “As I was saying! The majority of their numbers drop like flies, but their upper echelons—the rogue werewolf known as ‘Mad Dog’ and the rest of his inner circle—remain frustratingly elusive and resistant to our attempts to neutralize them.

“We have lost assets, valued contacts, friends, family, and lovers to these anarchists parading as ‘revolutionists.’” The councilman spat out the world.

“Like my Charlie…” The zombie said sadly, frowning for the first time that night.

“His was a glorious Final death,” The demon said as he patted her on the back, “Very entertaining, one for the feature reels and the top ten lists in the next century.”

“AHEM! The Heralds are twisted Darwinists, following their own version of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ that only they can abide by. They wish to annihilate the Society, and turn all of mortal civilization to food, fodder, and recruitment pools to bolster their numbers.

“We of the Council can assure you, we are all trying our damndest to stop them. I shan’t go into the details, except for one very glaring case where a group of unknowledgeable mortals ‘bit off more than they could chew,’ as their saying goes.”

The councilman was still speaking to the audience as a whole. Still, GoGo sank into her seat, and Honey Lemon squirmed uncomfortably.

“Now three of the six members of the ‘superhero,’” He looked away and mumbled something under his breath, “Big Hero 6 are part of our society. A mortal contact, a fledgling werewolf, and a fledgling witch. The very same fledglings we had discussed earlier today.

“It comes to no surprise to any of you that this group had failed to apprehend Mad Dog, as they had done so many times before to other, _mortal_ fiends. He is incredibly driven, he is incredibly intelligent, and he has a yet-unknown number of compatriots filling in for where he lacks.

“For however advanced and ‘high-tech’ their equipment is,” He said reluctantly, with a strong tone of distaste, “Science simply falters in the face of that which it does not understand—the Supernatural.

“The Big Hero 6, in closing, are extremely ill-equipped and ill-trained to even try and find Mad Dog again. We have strong reason to believe the disastrous fiasco at the docks was intentional on the Heralds’ part. Though his true motives are still muddy even to our oracles, we also have strong reason to believe that Mad Dog is finished Embracing random bystanders and is starting to refine his pool of potential Childe.”

GoGo bit her lip. Her whole body shook as the transformations tried and failed to break out.

“But we are not here to discuss the motives of a mad man. We are here to discuss how these ‘superheroes’ are to butt into our business, however blindly. First and foremost is this: the remaining three are to remain oblivious to the existence of the Society.

“Secondly, we will not better equip them with weapons against our kind. Even if this ‘Hiro Hamada’ is not a full-grade Technomancer--” The councilman stopped and visibly shuddered, “We and the True Council have little doubt he will somehow find a way to adapt and replicate the weapons and tactics, and now we won’t only have costumed children running around pretending to be heroes,”

The nails on GoGo’s free hand started to dig into her seat. Honey Lemon started stroking her lover’s hair.

“We’re going to have costumed children running around pretending to be heroes that can easily kill us in ways we’ve never thought of before, with stunning, terrifying efficiency. The technomancers in the room—I can see you all just itching to launch out of your seats and yell at me—would say we should just Embrace him immediately, but may I remind them just what exactly happened when the Society found out you could _program_ magic?”

The technomancers started yelling. The Council vampire scowled and waited for the ushers and guards to sit and quiet them down before continuing.

“Anarchy. Chaos. Paranoia. Hordes of ancients enrolling into ‘Computers for Grandma’ classes and clearing the shelves of ‘Programming for Beginners’ books. We are _extremely_ lucky that Y2K fizzled thanks to hardware limitations. The Society and the world at large was introduced to a brand new form of absurdly powerful, flexible, and unnervingly accessible magic by you ‘Computer Wizards,’ and the entire carefully constructed paradigm and peace of our world was utterly shattered. It’s still being rebuilt today, no thanks to you wunderkinds shattering it every other month!” He shuddered again.

“But, I am getting beside the point, and this will be the third: the Big Hero 6 are not to be allowed to pursue supernatural beings. If there is ever a pack of werewolves, a vampire attack, or a horde of zombies erupts from the local cemetery, not only will we keep them in the dark, we will actively do our best to discourage them—with _force,_ if necessary.”

GoGo ripped out the upholstery and the stuffing from her cushion. Indignation and anger was roiling in her head, but she bit her tongue, the wolfsbane inside her hushing the rest.

“I vote that the Big Hero 6 be _banned_ from all matters of Midnight Society Security.”

“I vote yes.” Said the Council witch, “But, with a transformation to the third: the heroes are hereby free to fight the foolish front-liners of the Heralds.”

“Hmm…” The demon hummed, mulling the thought about in his head, “’Supernaturals vs Power Armour’ does sound like it could be quite the collection. I vote yes, with the condition.”

“Hey, those guys all suck!” The zombie chuckled, “They’ve got numbers, but they don’t have brains of their own; they need someone to think for them! If a mortal with a shotgun can take ‘em, then I say a bunch of kids in colourful suits can beat the crap out of the cannon fodder all night, every night! I vote yes, with the condition!”

The vampire growled. “I vote no to the condition, and add a second: the Big Hero 6 are free to fight the lower echelons of the Herald chain-of-command, but only under strict, constant supervision by the Society.”

“My mind divines no issues. I vote yes to the second.”

“How _else_ are we going to get the very best visions? I vote yes to the second.”

“Heh, what horns said; this I _gotta_ see. I vote yes to the second!”

The councilman clapped his hands once. “Excellent! So it is decided, then, that the Big Hero 6 will be allowed to involve themselves in low priority security breaches, but only with Society spies on them?”

“It is decided.” “It is _decided.”_ “It’s decided, honey. I mean, uh: it is decided”

The Council vampire nodded, looking pleased with what little of his way he got. “Then, with all of our concerns discussed, and our actions decided upon: I, the Vampire and Magicians Representative, vote that the meeting be adjourned!”

“I, the Witch, Warlock, and Werewolf Representative, vote that the meeting be adjourned.”

“I, the Demon and Otherwolrd Representative, vote that the meeting be adjourned.”

“I, the Zombie, Humanity, and Other Monsters Representative, vote that the meeting be a-djourned! ‘Bout time, too.”

With that, the Council representatives stood up from their chairs and made their way out. The audience members erupted into chatter and conversation about the proceedings, a mix of interest, surprise, cheer, and more than a little disgust and disdain. Most of them made their way back up the aisles and out the door, their glamours reactivating at the first set of exits.

Terry, Honey Lemon, and GoGo remained in their seats. The witch and the werewolf looked a mix of concerned, confused, and resigned, with just a tiny bit of relief.

“So,” GoGo asked, “These are the people that handle all the big decisions?”

“The faces at any rate,” Terry replied, “But yes, they get double votes in all the meetings. The Council, and its Representatives, is not your friend, but they’re not your enemy, either. Just keep up the good behaviour, you two, and you should be fine.”

Honey Lemon sighed. “This doesn’t seem like a very good system.”

“Many of the people making them have lived to comment on Nero’s playing. It’s a system those under a century old will never understand. Look, I can tell you guys have had a LOT to go through today, so why don’t you go buy yourselves something nice?” The doctor pushed an envelope into GoGo’s hands.

Inside was an address and two platinum credit cards for the Midnight Bazaar, plus a note from Fred:

It’s all on me. Happy shopping!


	11. Otherwoldly Deals

“I have to be what?”

Honey Lemon ran her fingers through GoGo’s hair. “I’m very sorry about that, new to this whole Society thing.” She dug into her purse. “Time to put on your collar!”

Reluctantly, the werewolf let her. There was now a metal studded collar around GoGo’s still human neck, a tag on the front with her name and behind it, Honey Lemon’s details.

“Unless she is prone to wandering or biting, you may forego the leash and/or muzzle.” The runic automaton said as it turned and opened the gates, “Enjoy your shopping.”

GoGo snarled at the guard as they stepped into the Midnight Bazaar mall. The construct was unfazed.

“I don’t think I like being treated like a pet dog…” The werewolf grumbled.

“Oh, cheer up, GoGo, we’re at the mall!” Honey Lemon cried, pulling out her Society phone and taking a selfie of her smile and her girlfriend’s scowl, then pictures of every ad, storefront, and display in sight, “It’s time to go shopping! Ah, this is so exciting! I guess some things really don’t change.”

“I need to go to the bathroom.” GoGo said and looked up at one of the signs above. The board was blank but for several 0 shaped, glowing runes, then suddenly the lines melded and formed into letters, symbols, and words:

<\-- Humanoid Bathrooms

“Take your time, we’ve got our phones anyway!” Honey said as she scampered off to rows upon rows of stores.

The werewolf made her way to the restroom. She passed by a vampire, a group of demons, and something that looked like a monkey-man with a paper mask over its face. Inside was surprisingly not that different from a regular bathroom—aside from the signs and the unique shapes of some of the facilities for the exotic, the very tall, and the very small, nothing was different.

* * *

GoGo came back to find Honey Lemon being borne down by flyer people and store reps.

“Our obedience classes are famous for their 100% success rate, miss!” One of them said, “All of our clients are incredibly happy with the results, one of the best investments they’ve ever made…”

“… Is much more effective and cheaper than Mr. Noh!” Said another, “Don’t fall for the brand name sham…”

“… Offers discounts and exclusive offers to all of our members!” Said a third, “Don’t shop around for which Coven is the best, we are!”

The witch was struggling to politely refuse and shoo away the horde of vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and the one literal working stiff, a zombie. The “Refusal” scripts were layering on one after the other and Honey only found herself more and more confused.

Fortunately, they all scattered once GoGo growled at them. One rep tried to double back but the snap of her human teeth stopped them. Her girlfriend patted her on the head, and the werewolf found herself humming in approval.

They both stopped, looked at each other, at the disinterested crowds, and proceeded to go shopping as if nothing had happened.

They passed by numerous store fronts, dozens of ads, and even more Citizens. GoGo read some of them along the way. A very large floor display to the side **:**

**3 for 2 Sale on Glamours at “Eye of the Beholder”**

Average to Adonis or Aphrodite in three easy applications!*

_*Does not work for certain monsters and types of vampire. We are sorry, there is just no helping you._

A wall ad, set in the middle of a round plaza:

**Tired of nosy neighbours? Complaining landlords? Can’t work on your spells and potions in peace?**

Rent a transdimensional space pocket today at “Supernatural Surroundings.” If it works for the Bazaar, it will work for you.

A smattering of ads of different sizes all over the place:

**Mr./Dr. Noh’s Monster Deterrent Spray**

“Most Citizens nice, or tolerable. Some not. Use this on those guys.”

\- Mr./Dr. Noh

_Mr./Dr. Noh products available at the Midnight Bazaar Supermarket and Pharmacy, alongside Society licensed outlets, and the residence of Mr./Dr. Noh._

Eventually they ended up at a clothing store, “3W Wardrobe,” specializing in witch, warlock, and werewolf fashion. While Honey Lemon opted to go running about and seeing every last bit of clothing and raw material in the store, GoGo decided to hang out at the werewolf section, by the animal leather/hide/scale jackets.

“So, out shopping with your Sire?”

“Uh… yeah?” GoGo looked up from the rune stitched jackets, and at the voice.

She was a werewolf, fully transformed. She looked like a feminine, angular mix of a yellow Labrador and a wolf with long locks of blonde hair that gently sloped down and ended at sharp angles. She had blue eyes that looked friendly yet up to no good at the same time. On her form was a hot pink jacket, jeans, and a black leather collar with her details on it.

“Name’s Rita.” She held out her paw and smiled. The black werewolf shook it if only to be polite. “So, you’re Mad Dog’s latest Childe, right?”

GoGo blinked. “How’d you know that?”

“I was at the meeting; Kat wanted a vision of what the vampire rep would do _this_ time.” They both laughed. “That, and you smell like him when we tried to take him down.”

“Say what now?”

“We’re hunters.” Rita pulled out a card and handed it over. “Our card.”

**Maxwell-Marlowe Extermination, Exorcism, and Extraction**

June Bug “Kitty Kat” Maxwell and Rita Garnet Marlowe

“Before you ask about the name: ex-hippie parents. We hunt Ferals, fugitives, and the occasional loony that fancies themselves the new ruler of the world. Pretty fun. Kind of a hard job because I’m double-bonded to Kat, though.”

“Double-bonded?”

Rita held up her wrist. “Two lickin’s. Feral Embraced me. With none, I was out of control, with one, I was one surly bitch, with two, I’m the lovable ne’er do well you see before you.”

“Isn’t two, you know, practically _slavery?”_

“Not for witches.” The hunter shook her head, “At this stage it’s mostly me not being able to say no or resist what she says, but I’m still able to say no if I _really_ don’t want to.”

“That sounds awful.”

“Pfft!” Rita chuckled, “It’s not like Kat needed me to be magically bound for me to give her the world. Well, before I got turned, anyway. Hey, you’re a superhero, right?”

GoGo nodded.

“Ever considered applying as a hunter at the Lodge? With every monster butt you kick, you’ll get some Society moolah for your troubles.

GoGo shook her head. “I don’t do the job for money.”

Rita pointed to a zombie pushing a hanger down the aisle. The black werewolf looked, and her jaw dropped at the sleek, black, and shiny coat inside the bullet/magic/fire/claw-proof glass with the self-contained atmosphere.

“100% Genuine Dragon Scale jacket, obsidian black,” The hunter explained, “Available for the low, low price of ‘Apply and get paid for your troubles.’” She put a hand on her new acquaintance’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll even help you out with your application; always wanted to see how the working stiffs at the Lodge will react to a pair of superheroes.”

The black werewolf nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“GoGo! I’m done here” Honey Lemon said as she returned with several baskets full of new fabrics and clothes, some clearly enchanted, “Who’s your new friend?”

“Rita.” The yellow werewolf held her hand again, and the witch shook it, “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice jacket!” Honey said.

The hunter smiled. “Thanks. So—” Her phone buzzed from inside her pocket, and she pulled it out. “Yuh-oh, love to stay and chat, but Kat’s ‘Screwing Around Sense’ just tingled. Later.” She turned around and they saw the words “Good Little Girl” had been printed on the back in white, “Remember! Hunter’s Lodge!”

“What was that about?” Honey asked as GoGo unloaded the items into the cart.

“Just someone telling us we should go apply as hunters.”

“We’ll check it out later; for now, there is more shopping to be done!”

* * *

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” The witch clerk at “Supernatural Supplies” said, “But as a Class 0 Practitioner—unlicensed—you may only use the most basic of alchemical ingredients, create recreational potions and formulas for scents and culinary uses, and avail of general-purpose products.”

“Aww…” Honey Lemon’s face fell, “Well, any products to recommend?”

“There is always a strong need for Dr. Noh’s Monster Deterrent Spray, ma’am!” The clerk said, happily pulling a can of the monster pepper spray off the shelves, “Would you like to buy one or a whole box? They are very cheap and incredibly useful.”

“One moment, please.” The witch took the can, and held it out to GoGo as if she was going to use it on her. The werewolf yelped and jumped back.

Honey Lemon hummed and nodded. “I’ll take this can and a box. You were saying something about culinary uses?”

* * *

“Honey!” GoGo cried as she lugged their numerous tote and paper bags of holding, “Are you done shopping already? Honey?”

The witch was stopped in the middle of the mall, looking at a storefront. The werewolf followed her girlfriend’s line of sight. Her jaw dropped, and she blushed. “No. Honey, I am not going in there.”

“You don’t need to, I’ll only take fifteen minutes!” Honey cried as she ran right inside the discrete, red-and-black themed store with tinted display windows. She came out fourteen minutes and fifty-seven seconds later with a very, very large tote bag of holding.

“I’ll be carrying this myself, GoGo, thanks!” The witch said as they started walking again.

The werewolf stayed on the side that didn’t have the bag for the rest of the trip.

* * *

 They stood outside a quiet hole in the wall by a nearly deserted alley, cars and Citizens discretely coming and going through the mostly quiet road, the sewers, and the rooftops.

“It’s way past midnight,” GoGo said as she checked her regular phone, “I’m getting in the cab with you.”

Honey Lemon shook her head as she held her one extra-large tote bag of holding. “GoGo, you are doing no such thing. Our places are way too far from each other; it’ll be morning by the time you get there.”

“I’ll sleep at your place, then.”

The witch sighed. “Seriously, GoGo, I appreciate the thought and the intention, but I do need my own space, alright?”

The werewolf grumbled. “Promise me you’ll get home safely?”

“Hey, I have this, stuff, right?” Honey Lemon pulled out her new can of Dr. Noh’s Monster Deterrent spray from her purse. GoGo immediately took several steps away. “See? Now come on, I’m calling us two cabs.”

The ride back was uneventful and peaceful. Honey Lemon’s building was quiet and silent, and no one else was at the elevator when she rode back up to her apartment. She opened her door, laid her tote bag of holding to one side, and closed the door.

Then she turned around, and saw a vampire emerge from her cabinets.


	12. Messengers of Death

The vampire rushed forward. Honey pulled out her Mr. Noh spray and gave them a vigorous dose of holy water, garlic extract, liquid silver, and capsaicin, among other nasty ingredients.

“AAAGGGGHHHHH!” The undead fiend screamed and kept on running.

The witch side-stepped him, and they went crashing through her door, right over the guard rail, and onto the street with a thud.

“What was that?!” Ms. Basker yelled.

Honey Lemon thought of her response for all of a second. “HELP!”

There was a furious commotion from upstairs. The witch turned around and came face to face with another vampire. They were walking on their tiptoes, and took a second to stand there, looking surprised that they were discovered.

Honey sprayed them, too.

“OH GOD! OH GOD! OH—“ WHACK!

The monster didn’t go down from the solid hit from Ms. Basker’s baseball bat. The landlady merely kept hitting them again and again, running after them as they fled down the stairs. “Get back here you filthy criminal! The police are comin’ to get you!”

A car out in the street drove by the building. It then proceeded to hit a would-be assassin that was standing in the middle of the street, invisible. As the occupants got out and wondered what the hell they hit, Honey pulled out her Society phone and started making some calls, her other hand holding up her spray.

“Hello? Society Security? I’m being attacked.”

“We are sending a team out to your location now, ma’am. Are they Heralds, ma’am?”

One of her next door neighbours opened their door and stepped out. They were carrying a sling bag on them, looked at Honey Lemon, and nodded. They started making a careful patrol around the floor, a hand on the bag’s contents.

“How can I tell?”

“Do they seem completely, absolutely incompetent?”

“Yes.”

“They are Heralds, ma’am. Are you in a safe haven or a secure location, ma’am?”

“No, but I’ve got Mr. Noh’s Monster Deterrent, and Society Security.”

“Please remain vigilant and watchful for any other attackers, ma’am, the rest of the team shall be with you shortly.”

“Thanks, bye.”

Someone on the building on the other side of the street stepped out, looked to the third floor, and nodded at their compatriot. Honey made another call. Another car drove up to their street and idled at the corner.

“Hello? Midnight Movers? I need a cab as fast as you can get me one.”

“You being attacked by Heralds?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll get you one right away. Your reference number is #1298. I hate those guys.”

“I’m starting to hate them, too. Thanks. Bye.”

The security person looked at Honey, and thumbed for the stairs. The witch picked up her tote bag of holding from inside her apartment door, and they made their way to the steps. They escort tossed a potion out to the stairway. Nothing seemed visible seemed to happen, except a teenager in a black coat and sunglasses was suddenly roiling in pain. They gave Honey a thumbs up and they went down the steps together.

A cab was waiting at the street. The slovenly, leering, and overweight driver asked Honey, “Where to?”

The witch sprayed her, the escort threw another potion at him, and they sped off screaming. The team in the car went off in pursuit.

A few moments later, a second cab pulled up to the street, with a second slovenly, leering, and overweight driver, who asked Honey, “Reference number?”

“1298.”

He nodded. “Hop right in.”

The escort saluted to their compatriot, bid farewell to Honey, and both ran back to their buildings.

“So, who’d you piss off?” The driver asked as the witch climbed into the backseat.

She sighed. “Ever heard of the Heralds?”

“Bunch of dumbasses. Killed one of my buddies. I fucking hate those guys. So where to?”

“Can you give me a second, please? I need to make a call.”

“Meter’s running, sweetheart, no skin off my back.”

“Thanks.” Honey took a deep breath to calm herself. “GoGo?”

 _“Hey, Honey.”_ There was a steady thumping noise coming from the other end.

“What’s that noise?”

_“I’m pounding a werewolf’s head into a wall."  
_

The witch sighed. “You too?” She felt GoGo explode in anger.

There was one final, loud thump. _“Where are you?”_

“I’m in a cab at my place. Want me to pick you up?”

 _“One second.”_ There was a loud crack and a roar of agonizing pain. _“Yes. These phones have tracking, right?”_

“You want me to home in, sweetheart?” The driver asked.

“Yes, please.”

“Alright.” They drove off.

“Are you going to be okay, GoGo?”

 _“Don’t worry about me,”_ There was a sound of body being thrown into a dumpster, and the lid slammed shut on them, _“What about you?”_

A car drove out from the alley and up to the cab. Their driver pulled out a gun, and started firing. The bullets harmlessly bounced off of the shield from the runes of protection set into the cab’s interior. The cabbie merely kept on driving as if his vehicle wasn’t being shot at, before the same team from earlier took care of the attackers.

“I think I’m good so far, yeah.”

The taxi accelerated. Something large and heavy flew onto the windshield, up the roof, off the trunk and back to the street.

_“What was that?”_

Honey Lemon peered out the back window. “Pretty sure that _was_ one of them.”

_“Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said these guys suck.”_

The cab came to a complete just as a car tried to T-bone it at an intersection. The ramming vehicle turned around and tried to make another go until it met and wrapped around a streetlight instead.

_“Society Security’s got my back. How long till you get here?”_

“One moment.” Honey put her hand over the phone, “How far away till we get there?”

“Just give me like five minutes,” The cabbie replied, “Ten if more of these jerks come trying.”

Something landed on the roof and started trying to claw its way in, sharp nails scratching on the metal. The cab driver flicked a card onto the ceiling and whatever it was stopped and slid off to the side.

“We’ll be there in five-to-ten minutes.”

_“Got it.”_

“And GoGo?”

_“What?”_

“I love you.”

_“… Love you too, Honey.”_

* * *

GoGo dove into the cab and immediately started nuzzling her girlfriend’s chest. Honey Lemon smiled and wrapped her arms around her lover.

“I am so glad you’re okay.” The werewolf said as she casually kicked a zombie right in the face, and out of the car. She pulled away to close the door just as the corpse was trying for a second bite.

GoGo watched as the undead slobbered and clawed at the window. Society Security shot it in the head, wiped the blood of the cab, and proceeded to dispose of the body. She shook her head. “These guys don’t know when to quit.” She turned to face Honey, “Where’d you get attacked?”

“Inside my apartment. He was hiding in my cabinets.”

The werewolf bristled. “How’d they get inside?!”

Honey Lemon shrugged. “Magic, I guess? Or they used the fire escapes, and picked my locks. Pretty sure there’s one of them dead in the alley at this point. When’d they come after you?”

“Just after I stepped out my cab. Warlock thought he could pull a gun on me. Didn’t even have silver bullets.”

The witch shook her head. “I’m going to call Fred and the others…”

_“Hey Honey!”_

“Hi Fred.” The women said.

_“You guys getting attacked by Heralds, too?”_

“Yes,” Honey replied, “A lot of them.”

_“You guys safe?”_

“We’re in a cab, yes. We’re heading to your mansion.”

_“Good choice! Heathcliff and the security team have got this whole place covered. Before you ask, Hiro and Wasabi aren’t being targeted. Seems they’re only going after us and other Citizens.”_

“That’s a relief.”

“Think they’ll run out of guys soon?” GoGo asked.

They could feel Fred shrug. _“I don’t know. There a lot of them. We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess.”_

* * *

  **First Week of Herald Attacks**

 _“Breaking news! San Fransokyo Police Department warns of a new cult terrorizing the streets of our dear city. They call themselves the “Heralds” and the SFPD warn that they are zealous, numerous, and_ dangerous. _We now bring you live to the department, in an exclusive interview with Sergeant Gerson:”_

_“Look, these are a bunch of teenagers, deadbeats, and loonies running around with guns, baseball bats, and fancy monster costumes, pretending they’re werewolves, vampires, and magicians bringing on a “New World Order.” Folks, don’t panic, because here’s what you’re going to do:_

_“One, you go to your nearest police station and pick up your free box of pepper spray. This is a new formula, guaranteed to make them hurt. Take as much as you think you’ll need, we’ve got plenty of it, trust me._

_“Two, you let us do our jobs. These guys are stupid and don’t have any professional training of any sort. We will be sending guys out to every street to make sure you’re all protected, and flying in our friends from the other cities. Personally, I just caught up with a buddy of mine in Los Osaka._

_“Three, if it comes down to it, put your back to a wall and start fighting back. The spray will help a **lot.”**_

_“Wise words from the protectors of our dear city. And now, a letter straight from the SFPD, addressed to our dear city’s masked crusaders, the Big Hero 6:_

_“The Heralds are dangerous. Most of their members are poorly trained and more enthusiastic than dangerous, but at least seven of them—the cult heads—are one-man armies. Mad Dog is one of them, and we’re sure you’re all aware of how powerful and driven he is._

_“If ever you find yourself facing off against a Herald that seems several notches higher than the cannon fodder, call us. It’s going to take more than just the six of you to take them down. We trust in your skills to protect this city, but these leaders are on a whole other level._

_“And if it comes to it, that it’s their life over yours? Well, we’re not saying you should go and break your mantra of not harming human beings, but we’ve got our suspicions that some of these guys aren’t even human anymore._

_From the desk of Chief of the SFPD”_

* * *

GoGo stopped her bike full of packages, and dismounted. She looked into the alley, and saw Rita pressing a Herald werewolf against the wall. The Anarchist struggled, kicking and biting, but even in human form, it was no match for the professional hunter.

“Hunting Heralds?”

“Yep!” The blonde werewolf pressed a gloved hand to the anarchist’s chest, “It’s a pretty lucrative deal! They really add up.”

The Herald started to faintly glow, before they disappeared in a discrete puff of magic. The hunter casually dug into her jacket’s inside pockets, before she pulled out an identical glove to the one on her hand.

“Woops!” Rita cried out as she tossed it to GoGo, “I seem to have dropped my banishment rune glove! Too bad, these things are very useful to send Heralds straight to the Pound so we can get them off the streets, nice and easy.” She winked, and grinned.

GoGo whistled, sauntered over, and picked up the glove. The straps helped it turn into a perfect fit.

“Well, I’m such a busy girl,” The hunter said, shaking her head as she started to walk away, “I don’t think I—KAT!” She jumped several feet up into the air before landing a shaking, cowering mess. “Hi…!”

The courier looked over at the rather unamused face of a dark haired woman with the elegant red coat. June Bug “Kitty Kat” sighed heavily, took one look at GoGo, and dug inside her pockets. She pulled out a card, wrote something on it with magic, and dropped it onto the floor.

The two hunters left, one with a phantom tail between her legs.

GoGo picked up the card. There was a name, an address, a number, and a note:

Unofficial hunter supplies. You didn’t get it from me.

– K.K.


	13. She Who Hunts Monsters

Honey hadn’t even closed the door to her apartment when the vampire tackled GoGo to the ground.

They wrestled for all of five seconds before the hunter pinned them down, and pressed their gloved hand on their chest. The banishment rune started to glow, and in three seconds, the Herald disappeared. GoGo stood up, dusted off her new hunter’s cloak, and took a deep, calming breath.

“Wow.” Honey said, “That was fast. How do you feel?”

“Annoyed,” The werewolf replied, “But mostly good.”

“Think you should take some wolfsbane before you head out?”

“I’m good, trust me. Besides,” GoGo opened her coat to show the bottle of liquid wolfsbane on the inside pocket, “I have this, thanks to you.”

Honey Lemon nodded. “I know I already said it, but stay safe out there! You sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“I will don’t worry.” The hunter gestured to their coat full of tricks and tools. “And stay home tonight. It’s dangerous out there.”

“I love you, GoGo.”

“Love you too, Ho—“

The second vampire tackled GoGo to the ground.

* * *

**Second Week of Herald Attacks**

_“The Herald Menace continues onto their second week! Police patrols are at an all-time high, as is civilian vigilance; though there have been numerous reports of injuries from these dangerous cultists, none of them have been reported as serious or life-threatening, and thankfully, no innocent civilians or police officers have fallen at the hands of these so-called “revolutionists.”_

_“The SFPD, the Big Hero 6, and even a slew of unnamed, unidentified vigilantes have been working tirelessly to stop these zealous, bloodthirsty cultists. We now bring you live to the department, in another exclusive interview with Sergeant Gerson:_

_“How do you feel about the daily battles between the Heralds, and the SFPD, the Big Hero 6?”_

_“They suck. They’re really, really easy to arrest, if you just don’t scare the pants off of them the moment you fire back.”_

_“Any thoughts about the Heralds cries for revolution and their ‘New World Order’?”_

_“They’re crazy.”_

_“And how do you feel about these vigilantes joining in the fight against them?”_

_“Hey, there are a lot of these loonies. If someone wants to step in and help, they’ve got my thanks, especially the chick with the bike.”_

_“Please note, dear viewers, that San Fransokyo News 5 does not condone vigilantism._

_“In related news, unofficial reports and most especially videos of the Heralds’ extremely large number of casualties continue to flood the internet. We here at San Fransokyo News 5 also do not condone this violent, brutal trend, colloquially known as “Shooting the Messengers!”_

_“If you see a website, video, or blog perpetuating this barbaric content, do not hesitate to report their URLs to the links and numbers on your screen right now.”_

* * *

_“Kill him.”_

GoGo kicked the mage in the gut, knocking the wind out of them and sending them flying straight into the wall. They slumped down, defeated but not dead.

“Kill _him.”_

The hunter kneeled down, and placed her gloved hand on her foe’s chest. The rune on the back of its hand started to glow, as did the arcanist.

 _“Kill him. Kill him before it’s too late._ Let go. _Kill him. **Kill him!”**_

The Herald disappeared in a dim flash. There was little evidence the fight had ever happened. GoGo stood up, and started shaking. She reached into her hunter’s coat, and pulled out her wolfsbane.

There was barely any left. She shotgunned the drink. It barely had any effect.

GoGo found a quiet alley and pulled out her Society phone. “Honey? I need more wolfsbane.”

_“Already? Okay, I’ll order some more.”_

“Order? We’re already out?!”

 _“You’re using a lot of this stuff. A_ lot. _Don’t you think we should call Terry about this?”_

“You remember the FAQ? Everybody’s different, and I need a lot of it.”

 _“You remember last week? It was one bag a day. Now you’re using_ three _a day. And those deliveries? They used to come in boxes, but now they come in a crate that_ literally _has your name on it!”_

“Just get me the stuff, alright?!”The werewolf flinched, and started shaking even more, “H-Honey, I’m sorry I—“

 _“… GoGo?”_ The hunter fell silent. _“Honest talk? You sounded like a drug addict just then and there…”_

“I… I need to go home…” GoGo stood up, and staggered back to her bike.

_“You do that… GoGo, please. I know the Heralds are important to you. But you? You’re important to me. Please, don’t push and abuse yourself like this!”_

“I will, I will!” The hunter mounted her bike, “I’m going to go home, get some wolfsbane, and, and…”

 _“Get some sleep. Please. This is a_ direct _command. And GoGo? I love you.”_

The werewolf choked. “… Love you too. Bye.” She shoved her phone back in and started pedaling as hard as she could.

* * *

**Third Week of Herald Attacks**

_“And now, for our newest, hottest segment, “Shooting the Messengers!”, San Fransokyo News 5 now bring you **live** to another interview with the fans’ favourite police officer, Sergeant Gerson!:”_

_“Geeze, I didn’t think these guys could get any stupider but then this happens. Tries to blow up someone’s apartment, ends up blowing themselves out the window, and onto a hot dog cart before they even get in the door.”_

_“Do you believe it has anything to do with the infamous vigilante known only as the Interceptor?”_

_“Bet you anything.”_

* * *

“No, they didn’t roast hotdogs on them.” GoGo replied as she sat at Honey’s kitchen table.

“Figured that was just an exaggeration…” The witch mused, “So, Interceptor, are they really that easy to beat?”

“Yes.” The werewolf sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “And before you ask: no, I haven’t killed any of them, despite the rumours.”

GoGo put her elbows on the table and rubbed her temples. “It’s not easy fighting them, though… I know they’re not human anymore, they’re monsters, but whenever I start to banish one of them…” She trailed off, and shook her head.

Honey Lemon stepped over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “You’re not a monster, GoGo. But please? Do a favour for me?”

“Yeah…?”

“Please, don’t go out tonight. Just stay inside, watch cartoons, sleep, and laze about for me?

“Honey, no,” GoGo shook her head, “These guys don’t stop!”

Honey Lemon let go. “I can handle myself. I’ve been working on that spray and supercharged it with Terry’s help. Here, let me show you.” She picked up her purse, six feet away, and dug into it. The werewolf rocketed out of her seat and to the furthest wall away from her.

“See?” The witch stopped digging, zipped up her purse again, and smiled. “I’m prepared. Now, go be lazy and stay in tonight.”

“Honey—“

Her eyes narrowed. “That is a direct command, GoGo.” The werewolf stood down, and sat down on the floor, her head down. “Good girl. Now I’m going to go outside, call a cab, and I am going to class. I’ll be back in three or four hours, alright?” Honey smiled. “We’re having pasta again! New recipe from the Bazaar chefs I’ve been dying to try!”

GoGo smiled back, and nodded. “Stay safe out there.”

“I will.”

Honey Lemon made her way down the stairs, out to the street, and was just about to call a cab. Suddenly, there was a commotion in her building’s alley. The witched frowned, pulled out her phone, and set in a button press away from dialing 911. With her other hand holding her new and improved spray, she carefully stepped into the darkness.

Someone was at the other end, pale skinned and slowly, menacingly coming after her. A vampire. And no doubt, a Herald.

Honey Lemon started stepping back, raising her spray. “I’m going to call Society Security.”

The vampire shirked back and stayed away. Then she felt two very strong hands grab her shoulders from behind. “No, my sweet little buttercup,” A smooth, feminine voice cooed, “You’re not.”

* * *

GoGo dug into the kitchen cabinets, looking for tasty treats to eat. She pulled out a container full of peanut butter fudge bars, and licked her lips. _‘And no pesky muzzle to—‘_

**_“HELP!”_ **

The pastries fell to the floor with a clatter as the werewolf rushed out.


	14. The Beast Within

Honey Lemon laid on the bed, dressed up in a hospital gown, an IV attached to her hand. The bag was glowing with a golden fluid than blood or dextrose. Her skin was pale, her body limp and weak. A bandage covered the two puncture wounds on the side of her neck.

Honey smiled at her. “Hey GoGo.”

The werewolf rushed in to her side, tears still streaming down her face. She reached over for her lover’s free hand, and hesitated. Honey raised a limp arm, placed her fingers over GoGo’s hand, and gave it a weak squeeze.

* * *

“How can the Heralds do this?! They’re morons!”

“Not all of them, GoGo.” Terry said, “The leaders aren’t stupid, at all.”

“I’m going to kill them all!” The werewolf growled, feeling the hackles on the back of her neck rise.

The doctor narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to do no such thing.”

“Oh yeah?!” GoGo pressed herself right up to her, “What are you going to do about it?!”

Terry pulled out a gun from inside her coat, and pointed it right between the werewolf’s eyes. “In this gun, are six silver bullets. I will not hesitate to use them, if you don’t woman up, and **calm down.** I care about you, GoGo; I’m worried sick about Honey Lemon, too; but as much as I am your mentor, doctor, and friend, I am a member of the Society, and I can’t, in good fate, let you go out and get yourself killed like that.”

GoGo scowled. “You going to shoot me?”

“If I need to.” Terry’s lip curled into a frown, “Will you stop being an impulsive idiot?”

“Do I need to?”

“Yes.”

The werewolf bared her teeth once more, and reluctantly pulled back.

“Go to sleep, GoGo.” Terry stashed the gun back into her coat, “You can take one of the guest beds. I’ve given her my own personal stash of vitae—the closest thing I’ve got to panacea. She’ll be fine in the morning.”

“I’m going to go out for a walk.”

“Okay. You’re taking Society Security with you.”

“Fine.”

* * *

“Help us!”

“Please! There’s so many of them!”

“Heralds! Heralds everywhere!”

GoGo stopped, and ran to the voices. Civilians ran screaming past her, getting as far away as they could from an alley. The Security behind her yelled at her to wait up, but she ignored them and dashed right to the entrance.

A group of Heralds, slavering werewolves, teenaged magicians flaunting their guns and their spells, vampires showing off their fangs cornered a terrified couple, a man and a woman. Even with the sprays, there was no way they were getting out of the dead end alley without help. The Security shouted at her to stop but GoGo steamrolled right through the crowds and threw herself right in front of the civilians.

Then she felt the “helpless couple” press two guns against her back, and everything turned red.

_“Kill them. Kill them. Kill them all. Kill kill kill KILL KILL—“_

A sharp pain in her side. GoGo whined. A voice: “It’s a sedative, don’t panic!”

Her claws were dripping with blood, her mouth tasted something metallic and warm. Throbbing red veins filled the sides of her vision.

“It’s not working! Again!” More pain. Things were starting to come into better focus.

The mangled, bloody corpses of the Heralds lay strewn all over the alley. The Security were carefully making their way through the carnage, one with a revolver, the other with their hand held up and crackling with magic.

“Ms. Tomago! We’re friendlies, remember? Terry sent us! Are you okay?”

GoGo fell to her knees and onto a pool of blood, her tail darting between her legs. Tears started streaming down her eyes.

“No…”

* * *

“Pass the strawberry syrup, please?”

Hiro did, and propped himself up on the side of Honey’s bed. The rest of the team, sans GoGo, sat around on hastily pulled up chairs and the one sofa. Fred was looked down at the floor with a frown on his face, Wasabi gazing all around the room, trying to avoid the bandage on his friend’s neck, and Baymax sat in the corner, quietly monitoring everyone’s states for dramatic changes.

Honey Lemon took a few bites of her pancakes before she broke the tense silence. “I know you guys didn’t just come here to see if I’m okay, so let’s get this meeting started, shall we?”

“I can’t believe the Heralds could just pull something like this off,” Wasabi said.

“One of those top guys must have done it,” Hiro mused, “I mean, we’ve been through their traps, but this is the first one that’s actually _worked.”_

“Lucky you had that extra powerful spray on hand, huh?” Fred said.

“GoGo was there, too, don’t forget that.” Honey added.

“We really still can’t see her?” Hiro asked.

“The hospital staff were very clear that though GoGo had survived intervening the attack on Honey Lemon, the Heralds had, quote, ‘severely messed her up’ and left her in a state that would have extremely negative effects on your emotional states.” Baymax explained.

The rest of the team sighed, looked down, and silently prayed. Honey morosely picked at her food, quietly chewing on small bites of pink pancakes.

“What I really want to know, is why just you two and Fred.” Wasabi said, “I’ve been studying the Heralds’ movements, their attacks, their locations, possible motives, suspects in the news—it all seems just as random as the Messengers they keep sending out to get killed or arrested. No rhyme or reason, they just specifically pick these types of people and places for some reason and just go at them with a passion.”

“I wish I knew too, Wasabi,” Honey lied, “I wish I knew too.”

* * *

“Knock-knock! GoGo? You inside?”

A heavy sigh. “Yes.”

“Can I come in?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No. Heads up: I’ll have my gun out for my own personal safety, nothing against you.”

“It’s cool.”

Terry opened the door to her hospital room. The lounge was deserted, most of the furniture torn up, destroyed, or thrown into disarray. The doctor found GoGo curled up in a ball inside the guest bathroom, the mirror and the tiles covered in scratches. She was in human form. Flecks and streaks of blood were spread here and there, especially numerous in the sink bowl. The hand soap bottle had been destroyed.

“It’s been twenty-four hours since your last dose,” Terry said as she walked up, gun trained on her patient, “Have you taken anymore wolfsbane?”

GoGo looked up, and shook her head.

“Good. I need you clean for this test. Take off the rest of your clothes. I’m going to time your transformations.”

The werewolf obliged. They moved out to the more spacious lounge. Terry kept the gun trained on her and a finger on the trigger as she dug into her coat for a stopwatch.

“Wolf form, go!”

The fur practically exploded from her skin. Her hands mutated into paws and claws at flick of a wrist. Her tail, muzzle, and ears shot out like bullets.

“2.75 seconds. Now, human form, go!”

GoGo closed her eyes. Her whole body started shaking, her paws curling and uncurling, her tail nervously wagging low behind her.

“6.78 seconds and counting. Come on!”

GoGo tried harder. She winced in pain as her body started resisting.

“10.60… 12.37… 14.80… GoGo, please, you have to try!”

“I’m trying!” GoGo lunged. Terry jumped back, neck an inch away from the werewolf’s teeth, and dropped the stopwatch, second hand to steady her weapon.

The werewolf shrank back, tail between her legs. She fell to her knees, and started sobbing.

Terry sighed, still aiming, her finger over the trigger. “Okay. We _do_ have a problem. A very **serious** problem. You and Honey are going on avacation. Any place you need to be in the next two weeks?”

* * *

“GoGo?” Honey Lemon stood in her girlfriend’s room, scanning for any sign of her. The bed had been violently, viciously torn apart in a frenzy. “GoGo? Where are you, it’s time to leave.”

The St. Vincent’s staff patiently waited with their luggage, reassuring smiles on their faces. The witch followed the deep gouges in the rest of furniture, all the way to the bathroom. The door was slammed shut so hard parts of the wood were cracked, the lock the only thing keeping it closed.

Honey opened the door, and her other hand flew up to her mouth.

GoGo stood in front of the mirror. Her cheeks were bleeding from deep, red scratches. She looked at herself, naked, messy patches of fur and skin all over her body, her mutated and gnarled hands shaking with malformed claws, mouth twisted in the beginnings of a muzzle that never formed.

GoGo turned to the door. Honey Lemon rushed in and hugged her as tightly as she could.

Slowly, she started to turn back to normal.


	15. Reunion to Remember

_“Mad Dog is here.”_

GoGo cried out.

Honey Lemon woke up with an unladylike snort. “GoGo? GoGo, what’s wrong?!”

The engineer took in her surroundings. It was dark. She was in an unfamiliar bed. Honey was there with her, her arms wrapped protectively around the courier’s chest.

“… Did you have a bad dream?”

GoGo slowly shook her head. She was sweating and shaking.

Honey Lemon leaned over and gave her a peck on the back of her ear. The engineer’s cheeks were still covered in bandages. “Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay… think you can get back to sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Good. The reunion’s always a busy, busy day, you’re going to need it… night GoGo.” Honey Lemon started to drift back to sleep.

“Wait, Honey!”

She jolted back awake. “What?”

GoGo shifted about in bed, till they were face to face. She planted a kiss right on Honey’s lips. “Night.”

* * *

“Did you take your wolfsbane?”

“Yes.”

“All the ones you need?”

“I have the five empty bags to prove it.”

“Did you take all your extras?”

“It’s in the trunk. A whole crate.”

“Good.”

“Did you bring your extra powerful spray?”

“Why do you think you’re sitting so far away from me?” Honey Lemon said with a chuckle.

GoGo held her hand out and, indeed, found it was instinctively repulsed by the purse’s airspace.

“Good! That clears our Society problems up, now… my family.” The chemist sucked in a deep breath. “I was… hoping I could introduce them to you slowly, not most every single living relative I had all at once…”

The engineer forced herself past the invisible deterrent field and grabbed her girlfriend’s hand, squeezed it, and pulled her own hand back as quickly as she could. “I’ll be fine. If they’re anything like you, we should be able to get along just fine.”

Honey Lemon sucked in sharp breath. “Well, you see, some of my family members can be a bit… eccentric.”

“Like how eccentric?”

Their conversation was stopped by the single, loud bark of a very, very big dog. Both looked out the window and to the ranch, and suddenly saw a horde of extremely large dogs—American Bulldogs, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, American Pit Bulls—all rushing out of three farmhouses and a large series of tents on the grassy, orange ground, and following the mysterious yellow taxi on the road.

GoGo shrank back as far as she could. She knew large dogs, she’d met large dogs, she’d handled large dogs, but she’d never handled _this_ many large dogs all assembled like an army just waiting for the order to charge or stand down.

Honey Lemon casually opened her door, and stepped out to meet the American Bulldog waiting at the very front of the formation. “Hi Bruno!” She reached down and petted him, "How have you been?”

The pack leader panted in appreciation, before turning her head to GoGo. Dozens, if not a hundred eyes followed suit, all looking at the mysterious stranger inside the vehicle that their friend had just stepped out of. The engineer felt a phantom tail go between her legs.

Hesitantly, the engineer raised a hand. “Hi.”

Bruno was unfazed. He was still watching GoGo, as if sizing up how large she was, which part he would need to bite, and who else he would need to tear her to little bloody pieces.

Honey Lemon blinked. “Oh! Sorry! Bruno, this is GoGo. She’s my girlfriend. She’s cool.”

The bulldog took one last look at her, back at Honey, and turned around to face his fellow canines. He barked once, and they all broke formation, trotting forward to swarm the chemist and receive pettings and greetings.

As GoGo stepped out of the car, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still being watched. _Very_ closely.

* * *

“You’re being awfully jumpy today, GoGo.” Honey Lemon said as they walked through the sea of dogs.

The engineer did her best to stick as close to her girlfriend as possible without arousing suspicion from the numerous powerfully built canines. “Honey… I think they _know.”_

“What makes you say that?”

“They are _looking_ at me, in a way that just makes me feel that they _know.”_

Honey Lemon chuckled. “GoGo, that’s just silly! How will the dogs even realize that you’re a werewolf, or treat you like this? These are very well-behaved dogs, as you’ve seen; and last I heard, the animal thing only extends to witches and warlocks.”

“Well what if this side of your family are Citizens, too?” The engineer yelped as she almost stepped into a dog that had pointed its muzzle out just so. She swore that they were all laughing at her.

The chemist sighed. “Look, GoGo, I know witches and warlocks can only be born, but really, what are the chances that all of my relatives on this side are members of the Socie…” She trailed off, and stopped. “Do you feel that…?”

GoGo clinged as close as she could to Honey Lemon, closed her eyes. They opened in shock soon after. “Magic. Lots of it.”

The horde of dogs dissipated, and ran back to the fence near the road to see several unmarked vans rolling up to the ranch, all with tinted windows. Bruno barked once more, but this one was more frantic, a baying that spread to the rest of the packs as they all started running all the way back to the houses.

Inside the houses and the tents, people rustled and plates were dropped. A stream of Honey Lemon’s family members rushed out of the houses—they were carrying guns and bags.

 _“Mi sobrina!”_ One of her uncles cried, “Get in the houses, **now!** Take your girlfriend with you!”

They ran as fast as they could, GoGo holding onto Honey’s arm as they rushed into one of the buildings. Arms and hands waited to grab them and pull themselves inside to safety. The chemist took one look at her relatives standing guard outside, equipped with only guns and sling bags, and turned away from the impending massacre.

Heralds streamed out of the unmarked cars and started making a break for the houses, armed with claws, guns, spells, potions, all screaming their battle cry:

“For the New World Order!”

Then Honey’s relatives started shooting, slinging potions, casting hexes, and shouting Spanish curses, and the _real_ carnage began.

* * *

“So… I guess you’re also one of them.” Honey Lemon’s father said.

Honey Lemon smiled at her parents, then nodded sadly.

“Don’t worry, _miha,_ we still love you.” Her mother said.

The family came together in a group hug. Standing to the side, GoGo smiled.

“Besides,” _Papi_ Lemon said, “Your _abuela_ is probably going to wipe our memories again.”

Said grandmother passed by the hall, carting several trays of bottles filled with milky white fluid. “You know it, _mi_ _yerno!”_ She cackled merrily and went on her way.

They separated, and Honey Lemon gestured to GoGo. “Oh, even though you’re not going to remember this day _exactly_ as it happened… this is my girlfriend, GoGo!”

The engineer gave a nervous smile and waved. “Hi. So, uh…”

 _Papi_ Lemon walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Listen, since my memories are going to get wiped, promise me one thing: take care of my daughter, alright?”

GoGo nodded. “I promise.”

Honey’s father nodded back, and smiled. “Thank you.”

Honey’s mother hummed. “Come along now, _mi amor;_ let’s go decide how we’re going to remember this day. Our daughter and her _querida_ need to go fight an army of supernatural _pendejos_ and _pendejas.”_

“Yes _mi amor.”_

The lovers held hands, and looked out the window. Outside, the lawn and tents had been turned into a giant kitchen/workshop for brewing potions, making hexes, preparing weapons, and drawing runes.

* * *

Wasabi puked into a barf bag he had on him.

Hiro clutched his stomach, doubled over, and fell to the ground.

Baymax twitched and jerked about, spouting random nonsense.

Fred merely looked dazed and rather pleased.

Terry was holding onto his shoulder, looking mildly sick. “And this folks,” She moaned, “Is why teleportation is _terrible.”_

Several trunks of luggage came in right behind them. Honey Lemon was going to rush over and hug every single one of their friends, but decided to stay at the edge of the summoning circle with her arms raised and a happy smile on her face instead.

“Good afternoon Honey, GoGo,” Terry said as she stumbled over, sucking in huge breaths with each couple of words, “I trust this reunion has been one to remember?”

“Very.” The witch replied with a smile.

“Let me guess:” The werewolf pointed at the luggage, “Our suits?”

“You know it!” Terry said, bent forward with her hands on her knees, “Along with some miscellaneous supplies and a few spur of the moment upgrades for them, courtesy of the Council’s technomancers, plus hunters’ gear to supplement.”

Both women cheered. “So they retracted their decision?!” Honey Lemon asked.

“Temporarily, and afterwards, not completely.” The doctor looked up, a grin on her face, “The Heralds made the mistake of attacking the home of a Council representative. Could _very_ easily be construed as an assassination attempt on them, a rather serious offence requiring _immediate_ attention.”

The witch and the werewolf started scanning the people milling about the house and the tents, wondering who it might be.

Then Bruno padded up to them, and barked.

“He may not have the same amount of sway as Chi Chi,” Terry continued, “But a Council member is a Council member.”

* * *

Hiro finished drawing the last runic symbol on Baymax’s armour, and stepped back to admire his work. “Pretty good work for a fledgling, if I do say so myself!” He put his hand to his chin, nodded, and grinned.

“I do not understand why you are engraving these symbols onto my hands, Hiro.” The robot said.

The leader looked up, his eyes covered with protective goggles. “They’re banishment runes! When you hit one of those Heralds, you’re going to literally punch them into _another dimension!_ Well, technically you’re sending them to jail but the jail is in _another dimension!_ Oh, man, I want to become an official technomancer so badly!”

Hiro stepped removed the goggles, and picked up his helmet. He looked up at the fast dimming sky, and put it on. “Alright, guys, Council forces have rolled in and are getting ready to rock; we’re just waiting for the vampires to wake up. Remember: we’re going in as a recon team to the Herald base, parallel to the forces pushing from the front, so finish up those upgrades!

“And since we all know from GoGo that at least Mad Dog is definitely here, fall back ASAP if you see him. Do not pursue. I repeat: _do not_ pursue.”

_“Gotcha! These exorcism blades still freak me out, by the way!”_

_“Just putting in the last bit of supernatural secret sauce into my flamethrower, and painting that last rune on my suit!”_

_“I’m just reloading with new potions, Hiro, don’t worry.”_

The leader nodded, then frowned. “GoGo? Did you hear me?”

_“I’m not chasing Mad Dog again, and I’m not wearing my suit tonight, Hiro.”_

“Why? Aren’t you going to join us?”

_“I can’t Hiro, but I’ll join.”_

He blinked. “How are you going to…?”

_“I’ll show you all at sunset. The secret’s gonna be out, anyway.”_


	16. By the Light of the Moon

“Okay…” Honey Lemon said, “This is _definitely_ not how I remember you being in your werewolf form.”

“That… this… uh…” Hiro mumbled.

“This now officially ranks as one of the weirdest, and most terrifying things I have ever seen in my entire life.” Wasabi said.

“Huh.” Fred said from behind her, “There’s a giant purple heart on your butt.”

“I find it difficult to get an accurate scan of your vitals, GoGo,” Baymax explained, “Something seems to be interfering with my systems.”

The werewolf sighed, looked up at the full moon, then back at the tops of her friends' heads. “It’s magic, Baymax.” She said in a voice a notch deeper than the usual, “I’m still going with you guys.”

“Uh…” Hiro said, hesitantly stepping up to GoGo, “I don’t think Baymax can carry you and us together… or you in the first place.

The werewolf sighed. “Well, I’ve got these now,” She raised one of her now monstrously muscular legs, “So might as well put them to use. The Heralds will probably be too busy with Security to fight me.”

“That, or too scared.” Wasabi quipped.

“Well, if any of them tries, I don’t think they’ll last very long.” Fred said as he made his way back around.

“I’m going to go see what gear they can give me.” GoGo started walking back to the house, stepping over the torn scraps of her clothing, and picking up her ripped collar along the way, “You guys take off. I’ll catch up.”

* * *

“Ugh… talk about failing to plan, planning to fail.” Wasabi said as the team, sans GoGo, zoomed over the battlefield.

The Heralds, as everyone had expected, had swarmed out of their fortress—a decrepit farmhouse—in great numbers, a literal flood of supernaturals all screaming, flailing, and hungry for blood; no plan, no reason, just an overpowering urge to kill.

They were no match for the better-equipped, better-trained, more experienced, and vastly more competent Council forces. Machine guns roared, potions flew, hexes and spells lit up the night sky, and the flood of claws and fangs was starting to turn into a flood of corpses and ashes, dying screams and unholy roars piercing through the air.

“The amount of patients exiting the property seem to vastly exceed the physical capacity of the structure.” Baymax observed.

“They must be using lots of transdimensional pockets.” Wasabi said. Then, he paused. “’Transdimensional pockets.’” The swordsman sighed. “Never would I have ever thought I would say that with a straight face.”

Fred let go with one arm and patted him on the back. “Cheer up, ‘Sabi! You’ll get used to the laws of physics and nature getting bent and broken constantly with time!”

“Whatever they’re using, there’s still a lot of them, and that could be a problem.” Hiro said.

_“Heralds’ not a problem so far, though.”_ GoGo said through Honey’s society phone, temporarily strapped near her chest plate and on speakerphone.

“I wouldn’t underestimate them, though.” The witch mused as she looked down.

The tide of Security was steadily pushing the flood of Heralds back, leaving dozens of bodies in their wake.

_“Hero 6, Hero 6, this is Delta Squad, are you at the location, over?”_

Hiro nodded. “Hero 6 to Delta Squad, we are flying over the base, over.”

_“Delta Squad to Hero 6, roger that. What can you see, Hero 6, over?”_

“Hero 6 to Delta Squad: old house, tons of Heralds climbing out the windows and the doors, a huge field behind it with… wait, Delta Squad, we’ll get back to you in a moment, over.”

_“Copy that, Hero 6. Report back ASAP, Delta Squad out.”_

“I don’t like the way this looks, Hiro…” Honey Lemon said as she peered out the side. GoGo had just sidelined the crowds of reinforcements for the Herald bloodbath and was carefully stepping into the fields, hiding in the shadows of suspiciously, ominously arranged towers, constructs, and old farm equipment.

_“I don’t like the way this feels. I smell magic. A lot of it, and it’s close, and recent.”_

“Does it seem safe enough to land?”

_“It seems like another trap. Wait…”_

“GoGo, what is it?”

Snarling came from the other line.

_“Well, if it isn’t the prodigal Childe.”_

“GoGo, down!” Honey yelled.

The snarling stopped. _“What do you want, Mad Dog?”_

A dark chuckle. _“I want to talk._ Promise.” 

_“Hiro, Mad Dog says he wants to talk."_

“Delta Squad, Delta Squad, this is Hero 6, do you copy, over?”

_“Delta Squad to Hero 6, we read you loud and clear, over.”_

“Delta Squad… we’ve got a field that looks suspiciously like some kind of ritual circle, and now Mad Dog is here and he says he wants to talk, over.”

_“Does he have any Heralds with him, over?”_

“Baymax?”

“Scans detect no other patients in the vicinity other than Mad Dog, or GoGo.”

“Delta Squad, he’s alone. What do we do? Over.”

_“Hero 6, convening with command, stand-by, over.”_

“Willco, Hero 6 out.”

_“You’re really going to wait for your precious little Society to give you the okay?”_

_“Not following orders is what got me into this mess.”_

_“You sound so sure of that. It’s_ hilarious.”

“GoGo, down.”

_“Hero 6, Hero 6, this Delta Squad, do you read me, over?”_

“Delta Squad, we copy, over.”

“Hero 6, stand-by until reinforcements arrive, over.”

“When will that be, over?”

_“Delta Squad, this is Alpha, we are in position, over.”_

_“Delta Squad, this is Beta, we are in position, over.”_

_“Delta Squad, this is Charlie, we are in position, over.”_

_“Delta Squad, this is Echo, we are clearing stragglers now, over.”_

_“Copy that, Alpha, Beta, Charlie, Echo. Hero 6? Right about now, over.”_

Hiro nodded, and looked at his friends. “Everybody ready?”

“Yes.” “Yep!” “Yes, can we please land now?!” _“Yeah.”_

“Delta Squad, this is Hero 6, we are coming in for a landing, over.”

_“Copy that Hero 6, we’ve got your back. Delta Squad out.”_

Baymax flew in closer and closer. The Security teams had almost completely covered the entire perimeter of the house, and had positioned themselves all around the buildings in the field, weapons, magic, and claws ready for Mad Dog or the rest of the Heralds.

They landed right beside GoGo. The black werewolf stood several feet away from Mad Dog, quietly stewing as she stared him down. The Herald didn’t seem the least bit unfazed, an amused grin on his face.

They all took positions around Baymax, GoGo at the forefront. They readied their hands and weapons, but on one fired a single bullet or took a lunge forward just yet.

Mad Dog casually looked at the assembled forces before him. “Do you _really_ think you can win this time?”

“Well, we’ve got Security on our backs, and help from the Council’s technomancers this time.” Hiro shot back.

“And a witch.” Honey Lemon added.

“Plus a werewolf.” GoGo finished.

Mad Dog chuckled. Then, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.

“What’s so funny?!” GoGo shouted.

The Herald wiped a tear from his eyes, and had his last few laughs. “Do you think you’re the _only_ ones with an army, werewolves, witches and technomancers on your side?” His smile turned sinister. “Now that you and your precious Society have separated the strong from the weak in our Messengers, let me personally introduce you to phase two of the New World Order: the Riders.”

Werewolves sprung out, gauntlets on their legs, claws gleaming with enchanted plasma like Wasabi, tearing through the shocked Security forces with ease. Witches and warlocks casually strode out carrying their technomagical bags, keying in spells and potions with ease before they popped out the sides, ready for use, just like Honey, raining down terror and pandemonium on the field. Magicians, vampires, and demons appeared in a mixture of monstrous power-suits like Fred’s torching and tearing through the retreating forces. Several more sped out on discs just like GoGo’s, rounding up the Security personnel and letting rip, too fast to get hit.

_“Delta to all squads, fall back now, fall back now!”_

The roof of the house collapsed. A giant navy blue and white yellow blur shoot out of the building on wings and rocket powered boots. It landed in front of the stunned heroes and Mad Dog, a rune studded, ominous copy of Baymax, with a rider on in white and navy blue on its back, just like Hiro. Their features were completely obscured, their visor opaque.

All around them, the tide of the battle was turning, a storm of violence, death, and confusion, an eerily calm eye centered on Mad Dog.

“You heard Delta!” Hiro screamed as he ran back to Baymax, “RUN!”

The team scrambled back onto Baymax. Honey Lemon’s foot suddenly got caught in a magical trap, anchoring her to the ground. The rest of the team started shouting, but GoGo couldn’t hear them, her eyes on Honey.

The witch and the werewolf locked eyes.

_“Let’s do it.”_

“Go, take off without us!” Honey cried. “We’ll catch up, I promise!” Reluctantly, the rest of the team rocketed off Baymax and back to the base.

“You’re going to make a fine Feral once I kill that annoying little Sire of yours!” Mad Dog roared.

GoGo dashed in front of Honey, her rear legs digging into the dirt. The witch started pressing a single button on her purse.

The Herald pounced on trapped witch, his claws and jaws spread wide open.

“GOGO! ROLL OVER!”

GoGo ducked out of the line of fire. Honey threw her chem-capsule of pure silver.

By the time Mad Dog realized what they were doing, it was _far_ too late to stop.

Honey threw a dispelling potion onto the trap, and ran over to GoGo. “Bend down, girl!” The witch climbed onto her back as quickly as she could, and held on for dear life. “Run, GoGo, RUN!”

They dashed through the bloody, brutal conflict, Riders rapidly pushing back the fast-dwindling Security forces.

Mad Dog writhed on the ground, howling and desperately clawing at his face. A witch from the battlefield screamed bloody murder, breaking from the massacre to rush to his side. She lovingly cradled his head in her arms before they both disappeared in flash of light.

_“Omega, Omega, this is Delta, Wrath on the enemy base! Wipe it out!”_

* * *

Terry held the phone for Bruno, her ears covered with enchanted plugs. No one else could hear the conversation occurring. The councilman listened intently, a look of serious concentration on his face, barking occasionally, before finally, the call ended, and he nudged the doctor’s head for her to pull the phone back.

“Well?” Hiro asked.

“Wait for it…” The Big Hero 6 leaned forward in their seats. “Now.” The doctor read the message on her phone for a minute, and said, “Okay, here’s the gist of the Councils’ emergency meeting:

“One, ALL of you are to be Embraced immediately.”

Fred threw his arms up into the air. “Woo! Finally!”

“Two, Hiro, you are to start Technomancer training as soon as you get back to San Fransokyo,”

Hiro rocketed out of his seat and started dancing.

“Honey, you are now authorized to use Alchemical Ingredients from class 1 to 7—that’s ALL of them--are free to self-experiment, and order an unlimited amount of supplies for free,”

Honey squealed happily.

“Wasabi, you are to be initiated into the Magicians Guild; you can choose your specialization later,”

Wasabi frowned. “Don’t I get I say in this?”

Terry shook her head. “Fred, you are now the right-hand man of Councilman Bruno giving you all of his appropriate powers and perks except for voting yes or no on decisions,”

“Thanks Bruno!”

Bruno barked and merrily wagged his tail.

“Baymax, are now going to be uploaded with all of the medical information about supernaturals that we have amassed, alongside being equipped with new enchanted scanners. Hiro will be in charge of programming your new Society chip.”

Baymax nodded. “This development will be incredibly useful in my treating of supernatural patients.”

“And GoGo… you and Honey are now officially a fully licensed Hunters, do not need to report or be subservient to the Lodge, and are given free rein to do whatever you please or think is right in stopping any and all supernatural menaces. Your equipment and hunting supplies are being delivered as we speak.”

GoGo smiled. “Awesome.”

“Third, you are now allowed to pursue the entire Herald chain-of-command, from the Messengers, to the Riders, all the way to the Heads. The Council encourages you to impound them rather than kill them, but say that if it comes to it, getting rid of them is all we really need you guys to do.”

The Big Hero 6 broke into congratulations and cheers.

“Also!” Terry held up her hand for silence, “Honey, GoGo? I need to talk to you two. Privately. Everyone else, please leave the living room.”

The others got up from the couches, the wicker chairs, and the one recliner, leaving the werewolf and the witch behind.

The doctor stood in front of them. “I have to ask you two a very important question. As your doctor.”


	17. Epilogue: A Bond That Can Not Be Broken

Hiro, Wasabi, Fred, and Baymax stood as best men, in mismatched formal attire hastily borrowed. (The robot only had a bowtie on.)

Most of Honey Lemon’s family sat by in their Sunday Bests, the chairs arranged like church pews. Her parents sat at the front row, their faces a mix of happiness and resignation. The dogs were obediently waiting in the aisles, at the sides, at the feet of their owners, or arranged in their own neat pews on the ground.

At the back, Honey’s grandmother was already carting more trays full of mind-wiping potions.

Honey Lemon herself was dressed in one of her great aunt’s wedding dress. Her hair was braided and decorated with flowers, some of them pink, some of them red, some of them white.

GoGo wore one of her fiancée’s cousin’s suit, hastily tailored to her size, with a yellow tie on. She also stood on a footstool, which everyone was kind enough not to mention.

Terry oversaw the ceremony, her normal attire exchanged for a brilliant, crimson dress. The doctor pulled out a knife with intricate carvings on the handle. “Honey, your wrist, please?”

Honey Lemon held it out, and a neat incision was made.

“You may now seal your union.”

GoGo leaned down and started lapping up the blood.

When the wound had healed, they turned around to the crowd, and held up the faded scar for all to see.

The human and supernatural crowds erupted into cheers and clapping, the packs of dogs all howled as one.

The new infusion of blood surged through the engineer’s system, a calming presence wiping out the inexplicable rage and anger inside of her. It was like a pair of warm, caring arms wrapping around her, a gentle voice whispering beautiful lullabies.

The strengthened bond made itself just as quickly known to Honey Lemon. Just looking at her wife, she felt a great clam pour through her. It was like a strong, powerful beast standing guard over her, ready to fight off foes and hold her close.

The newly wedded couple turned to each other, and smiled.

_“How are you feeling?”_

_“Much better.”_

They blinked, and frowned.

_“Wow, this is weird. Pretend it doesn’t happen?”_

_“Yes, please. Also…”_

GoGo blushed and tugged at her collar. Honey Lemon grinned and started tittering in her dress. The chemist gestured to Terry, and the doctor leaned down to have something whispered in her ear.

Terry nodded. “I’ll go see if I can’t get some handcuffs.” She said quietly.

“So, time for the reception now?”

Honey Lemon shook her head. “Actually, GoGo, because you’re part of the pack now, you’ve got to show your respect to the territory leader—and councilman!—and introduce yourself to the others.”

“What, Bruno and the dogs?” The engineer shrugged, “Sure, what do I have to do?”

* * *

GoGo put her fist out. Bruno sniffed it. The dog padded around her, till he was facing her back. He stood there silently, as if waiting for something.

Honey Lemon’s family started sniggering. Fred, Hiro, and Wasabi tried not to laugh, and failed. Baymax merely observed the proceedings.

The engineer looked over to her wife, who waved for her to go on with her free hand. The other was holding her Society phone, recording the whole thing. GoGo knelt down on all fours, still in her suit sans the coat.

Honey Lemon’s family exploded into riotous laughter. The others joined in.

Bruno sniffed her butt. Satisfied, he then turned around and offered his own rear for inspection.

GoGo’s recoiled. “Do I really have to?!”

“He’s waiting, _mija!"_ One of the aunts called out. "Don’t be rude!” 

“Ugh…” She turned, stuck her nose in the bulldog’s butt, and started sniffing.

He was cool.

Bruno turned around once more. The two shared a look. GoGo smiled. The bulldog smiled back, his tail wagging.

The councilman turned to the waiting pack, obediently sitting down in two neat rows in front of their owners and families. He barked once. One by one, the rows formed a line, starting at their new member’s butt.

The laughter exploded with renewed vigour.

“Heh! They like you already!” Honey Lemon said as she kept on recording.

GoGo just stuck her nose into a German Shepard’s rear and started sniffing.


End file.
